


I Wish I Met You Sooner

by IReallyHateMyself



Category: Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Eventual Smut, M/M, Some angst, and of course they're roommates, and others - Freeform, but definitely lots of shenanigans, cloud blushes more times than is healthy, cloud cross-dresses at some point, everyone hits on cloud because he's a precious bean, lots of fluff, p.s. this is a slow burn, so lowkey harem, thank you for coming to my Ted Talk, university au!, zack experiences bi panic, zack is a smooth flirt when he wants to be
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-03-18
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:33:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 58,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22073314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IReallyHateMyself/pseuds/IReallyHateMyself
Summary: Cloud thinks nothing can go wrong. He's in his dream college, Midgar University, and right when his life is stable for once, it all gets flipped on its head. From a roommate that awakens strange feelings, to a harassing classmate, and to a professor that may or may not have been his idle growing up, Cloud finds himself in the middle.Zack is optimistic. At least, until he finds himself falling in love for the first time. To make matter worse, he doesn't even realize it at first, and, by the time he does, many others have also taken an interest to his roommate. Will his affection be acted upon on time? Or is it already too late?
Relationships: Zack Fair/Cloud Strife
Comments: 22
Kudos: 76





	1. Chapter 1: First Day

Cloud Strife tried his best to not sleep in on the day that will determine the next four years of his life. 

The sun was dangerously high by the time he willed himself to get out of bed and look out the window, the rays making him squint painfully. It looked to be mid-morning. At the realization, a fleet of panic had him jumping out of the covers and flinging on his clothes. He put on the only pair of dark jeans and the deep blue button up left in his suitcase, mentally thanking his past self for remembering to pack something nice for today. Cloud checked over his shoulder and winced to see he had thirty minutes until it would start. Hurrying, he picked up his few belongings splayed across the hotel room and double-checked his luggage, running out once he finished. He flew down an flight of stairs and checked out at the front office while combing his messy blonde locks with his hand haphazardly. He can’t be late. 

As soon as he stepped outside, Cloud paused, gasping at the sight that lay before him. Throngs of people already filled the sidewalk, many zooming past on bikes or walking determinedly in suits, undoubtedly the morning rush of the city. Farther ahead was one of the many streets and even further were the countless business buildings conjoined with apartment complexes above, the warm tones and pattern of trees with small rings of soil on the sidewalk making the industrial setting look inviting. Wafting scents of freshly brewed coffee from the nearby bakeries and cafes filled the air and rain from the night before was still pooling out of gutter pipes and decorating everything in droplets. Everything sparkled. 

This was the first time Cloud woke to the bustling city, enchanted by the stark contrast of the atmosphere compared to his hometown. He had grown up in a smaller place, Nibelheim, which was cozy but simple. Leaving wasn’t easy, but the change of scenery was definitely refreshing. He had traveled by train the day before to get to this capital, Midgar, and though at night it was amazing, the light of day painted the metropolis in a completely new way. It was breathtaking.

Quickly remembering the matter on hand, Cloud ran forward and called for a taxi, putting his suit cases in the trunk and rushing around to get inside as soon as one stopped in front of him. “Midgar University Plaza Grounds, please.” He breathed, putting on his seatbelt. 

“Headed for Freshmen Orientation?” The driver guessed, already starting down the rode. She looked to be about the same age as Cloud, short hair framing a youthful but mischievous face. He couldn't help but notice the bandana that was tied around her forehead and he absently wondered if she was part of some sort of gang. Overly cautious, he shifted uncomfortably. “Yeah, how’d you know?”

“Ah, don’t worry,” she assured, having sensed his hesitancy, “I think I’ve probably driven three other freshmen by now. It might be a big city but it’s still a small world, if you know what I mean.” She giggled to herself, as if she was keeping a secret. The childish yet playful demeanor immediately relaxed Cloud, and he felt his eyebrows raise at her comment.

“Really? Ran into any girls with a mini-skirt obsession?” He asked, unable to help but spring the question. The girl laughed again, shaking her head. “No, but I did run into a man who, I swear, looks like a real life vampire! But mini-skirts sound a lot more threatening. So I take you’re meeting up with some friends?”

Cloud nodded, looking out of the window and trying to get a view of everything. “Just a friend from the same town I came from, we managed to get accepted into the same university and I promised to wait with her before the induction.” He shrugged, remembering the nerves that came with this important day. 

“Congratulations!” she chimed, almost overly peppy for the morning, “It’s a pretty prestigious school, if you made it this far I’m sure you’ll do more than fine!” She promised. “But hey!” Her smiled was suddenly gone and she gasped. “Aren’t you kinda cutting it close there?”

Cloud took a moment to register the words, then gasped too, looking at the clock. “Oh shit, I am!” It was five ‘till.

“I know a shortcut!” She declared, the engine roaring louder as she stepped harder on the gas. Her concern easily melted into a grin as she started weaving through cars and swerving in turns, ignoring a panicking Cloud in the back seat. He didn’t even have the chance to protest as he became more focused on trying to not slide around or let the set belt strangle him in the process. 

In almost no time Cloud found himself almost headramming the seat in front as the taxi came to an abrupt halt, his stomach feeling light. “Here!” she exclaimed happily, a ding sounding right after as she rang up the bill. He opened the door with relief, wobbling out on unsteady knees and short of breath from the exercerlation. Seeing his shaken state, the girl laughed. “You know what, this one is on me. Go ahead and get to your orientation!” She teased. Cloud paused at this. He was positive he lucked out on getting the only possible taxi drive that could get him here on time. “Wait, are you sure?”

“Yeah, yeah!” She assured, waving him off, “I got to drive recklessly without a threat to be sued! That’s always a win in my book!” 

Cloud grinned in disbelief, shaking his head. “Got a name I could request for next time?” he asked, already planning to pay her back. She just smiled back. “Yuffie.”

And before he could even breathe again she was gone and driving down the block. Cloud shook his head again. Were all city people like that? It was a memorable encounter, that’s for sure. Speaking of which, there was someone else he had to meet. He pivoted around, taking in the surroundings.

Cloud had been dropped off at some obscure sideline of the perimeter, finding a main path once walking a little ways down. He came to the entrance an overly immaculate courtyard, and suddenly his breath caught. 

A wrought gate that rivaled the height of nearby buildings was splayed open wide, ‘MIDGAR’ written in cursive iron on top, and ‘UNIVERSITY’ written on the second double door. A thick wide path of light stone flowed out of the opening and into a plaza center. There was a ginormous fountain in the middle, the sound of the running water and feeling of mist even reaching Cloud from where he stood, and an impressive outer ring of small, open buildings that served as an entertainment hub for the students. He couldn’t really tell which were exactly what, but many were easy to identify as a library or restaurant or a school merch store. Despite the establishments at every corner, it was beyond spacious and lushious, park benches and foliage dotting the grassy areas. And beyond that- the University. The main building was centered and many stories high, easily discernible above the trees, though it was a good distance away. In the same area should be the smaller buildings with the classes of uncommon fields and the dorms, but those were hidden from view. It was still a lot to take in.

Even more astonishing was the fact that every area seemed completely  _ filled _ with students. Tables, that were obviously set up for only today, littered the campus, long lines of presumably other freshmen checking in and receiving their materials from them. Cloud gulped, never being around such a large crowd and not expecting the high numbers. Even worse, everyone knows that less than half make it through to graduation. 

Was he looking at future life-long friends, or enemies? Either way, a single thought plagued his mind as he made his way up to the table at the entrance, the idea leaving his stomach churning. Not all the people he was surrounded by are going to make it. And, no matter what, they are all  _ competition _ .

Cloud mustered up his most charming smile as his wait in line brought him to the front, proud to see the girl at the desk lightly blush and avert her gaze. “Last and first name?” she asked, looking back to return a smile.

“Strife, Cloud.”

She spent a moment going through the pages of list before highlighting his name off, another person at the table already handing him a prepackaged tote bag full of papers. “This will have the school map and other necessary information for being a student here. If you ever have questions, feel free to go to the office building here in the plaza. Just make sure to visit every other booth once inside to get your other resources.” She explained.

“Thank you.” Cloud said as he received the bag, already not looking forward reading all of the paperwork. And then, he stepped through the gate.

Despite there being no barrier besides the table, taking his first step on the campus made his heart swell. He had gone through a lot and couldn’t believe that he was finally here. Suddenly motivated and determined, he made his round to all of the other set ups, grateful that his slight lateness gave him smaller lines to wait in with most of the students done.

First was his schedule, another was a club list, next was the itinerary for freshmen events, and countless of others before he got to the last one booth. 

The one he had no idea and no control over. The one that he couldn’t look up online or research like with the others. The one that would make or break his university experience:

Dorm and Roommate Assignment.

“Cloud!”

Cloud turned around just on time to see his childhood friend waving him down, a huge smile on her features. Today she was sporting a jean mini-skirt with a long sleeve black midriff that clipped off the shoulders. Her hair was up in a classy high tail with strands in the front accenting the long earrings she was wearing. 

“Tifa!” He greeted, waving back joyfully. He was going to find her once he got all of the materials, but this was more convenient. They reached and pulled each other into a hug, laughing as the excitement of the first step of their childhood dream was taking place. They had promised each other a long time ago to work hard and get accepted into Midgar University, a feat that no one believed they could do. They were nobodies from a nobody town. But they did it. They were here.

“It’s so amazing we made it.” She squeezed him tighter, their embrace comfortable due to the even height achieved by her heels. 

“I still can’t believe it.” He mused, easing out of the hug to give her a smile. Tifa nodded in agreement. “Are you getting your Dorm and Roommate Assignment too?” She asked, motioning to the line Cloud had just entered. “Yeah, it’s the last booth I have…” he trailed off, remembering the anxiety of it. 

“Perfect timing! We can find out the person we’re staying with for the next four years together!” Tifa cheered, making Cloud roll his eyes. “You say it as if this isn’t monumental.”

“You’re overthinking it.”

“I overthink everything.”

Tifa laughed. “That you do. But hey,” she place a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Whoever you end up with, it’ll be fine. I know you’re probably thinking that this will make or break your time here-”

“I know it will.”

“But,” she continued, “ _ I _ will still be here. You can get the biggest jerk on the planet as your roommate for all it matters. We’ll still have each other and make these next four years the best in our lives.” Tifa gave him a reassuring smile. “And no offense, but you worry for no reason a lot, I’m sure whoever he is will end up being your next best friend!”

Cloud gave a weak smile, “I just hope we can at least co-exist without trouble.” he joked, earning a light whack on the arm. “But really,” he began, “you always know what’s eating me up. Thank you Tifa.” 

Shae just smiled. “Oh, what would you ever do without me?” 

“I couldn’t even begin imagine.” Cloud confessed, laughing at the affirmative nod she gave.

Their banter came to a pause as they reached the front of the line, giving their names to the people that sat at the table. They got a single envelope, leaving once they received the full explanation of what the paper inside entailed. This is the most prestigious school in the country, the man at the booth had reminded them. Midgar University would not tolerate nor waste time on moving around the arrangements just because two people didn’t ‘get along’. It was something the college was actually infamous for. Cloud felt his anxiety spike.

Holding the letter in his hands, he hesitated tearing it open. Besides, knowing a name would do no good unless he knew the guy. “Who’d you get?” He asked Tifa, peering over her shoulder. She had opened it right away and was skimming the contents. “Aw! My room is on the ground floor! How boring~” She absently complained, no real protest lacing her words. Cloud gave her a pointed look, finding this besides the point. Tifa shrugged.

“Some girl named Aerith Gains… okay I don’t think I can say that.” She admitted, handing the paper to him.

_ Aerith Gainsborough _

“She sounds nice.” He commented blankly, ignoring the eye roll he received. “How can someone’s name make them  _ sound _ nice.” Tifa patted him on the back and laughed, “C’mon now, let me see yours!”

Cloud took a deep breath, eyeing the envelope skeptically. It reminded him of the sensation of opening a rejection or acceptance letter. It definitely held the same dread.

“Okay…” he gulped. He tore off the top slowly, not rushing to unfold the paper inside either. At the top was a detailed map of the dormitories, then below was his floor and room number. He passed them in a haze as his eyes came to the section at the bottom subtitled ‘Roommate’.

_ Zack Fair _

Cloud squinted, willing to muster some sort of telepathic response of who this was. Of course none came. He sighed. He’d have to wait until the end of the day, heck probably the end of the week, to assess this guy’s threat. Hopefully there wouldn’t be any at all, but Cloud had done his research. Midgar University was more than known for being the only school to handle their students living conditions this way. 

The first was that all students were  _ required _ to live on campus, and the second biggest difference was that roommates were assigned by field; meaning, they would also be taking the same classes. Many theorized this is what made their graduation percent so low, as the idea of getting stuck with someone you hate, was, well, less than appealing. On the other hand, if you manage to hit it off, you’d have a strong ally and strong advantage compared to other students because you wouldn’t be going in alone. The same schedule and same gruelling work wasn’t so bad if you have someone to work with in complete sync.

“He sounds nice.” Tifa teased, looking at his paper.

“You’re hilarious.”

“You’re a worry wart.” She shot back.

A sudden buzzing sounded through the courtyard, catching the attention of every student. Cloud just was noticing the speakers set up in every corner, along with the temporary stage set up in the back. It was no bigger than to fit perhaps two people and the podium it already held. Light popping noises went off as the microphone that was there continued to be tested, a women knocking it against her palm. Once she was satisfied it was playing through the speakers, she brought it up to the stand.

“Attention all freshmen.” Her voice resounded clearly, loud yet not in the overbearing way microphones sometimes tended to do. Although the students were scattered throughout the plaza, everyone paused and stayed where they were, not all able to see the women but everyone able to hear. 

“Before we start today’s orientation, induction, tour, and many other great events, may I introduce to you all the headmaster of this establishment, our president, Rufus Shinra!”

Cheers erupted, a crowd gathering closer to the podium in the center as a, surprisingly young-looking, man with a clean white suit and platinum blonde locks took the stage.

“Thank you, thank you.” He said, raising his hands to quiet all of the applause.

“Now, I am to give a more proper speech at the end of today, but I would like to say a few words before we officially begin. I'll do my best to keep it short.”

He grinned charmingly and light laughter came from the audience. Cloud suddenly became acutely aware of how many girls were already swooning over this guy. The thought didn't settle well for some reason.

“As you all know,” he continued, “you are all here today because you earned it. Midgar University is well known for its elite ranks among many fields, and we are proud to see generation after generation continue to strive for the best. You were accepted, not just because we saw you were already exceptional, but because we saw  _ potential _ . We found ourselves on the ideology that there could always be more done to improve oneself. No matter what you are majoring in, there are life lessons we hope our establishment can provide, and  _ I _ hope you can all carry with you the reminder to be open and  _ learn _ . This is a school after all."

Another chorus of polite laughter came from the crowd and Cloud could only bare a smile. The sudden realization of the struggle he'd be facing soon was evident. Despite Rufus's grin, behind it he could see the leveling judgment as the president eyed the students. He made it sound casual, but behind the way he urged them on to improve, it was a clear sign to Cloud that message was more closer to a sugar coated 'don't get complacent'. It was obvious that complacency was a death sentence in high strung universities like this one.

"So it is warmly that we open our arms to you all. With that said,"

Cloud took a deep breathe, still in disbelief. He was actually here. He was starting his next chapter in life, unable to tell if the excitement or fear of the prospect was stronger. And his first official day was going to begin. No matter what came next, this was the start.

Cloud’s heart swelled as he took in the closing words of Rufus Shinra:

“Welcome to Midgar University.”


	2. Meeting You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Cloud wasn’t sure whether to comply before yielding to the request, unintentionally noticing how warm Zack’s hands were when he held his."

Cloud had to climb up practically a million flight of steps before reaching the door to his room.

His legs burned from the exertion of the long day, a familiar ache foretelling the muscles were going to be sore the next day. After the president had given his speech, time never got to pause long enough for Cloud to catch his breath, each event taking place right after another. At some points, the class was divided into groups, like for the campus tour, and for others they all got together to sit in an auditorium to listen to speeches. The short lunch break hardly helped as the rest was the day was dedicated to meeting the counselors and advisors, while also meeting the professors of the classes each student was taking. Cloud still had no idea how the staff managed to schedule everything so personalized to all fit in one day. There was more than a thousand students, after all. 

He vaguely remembered meeting the six professors that he’d be taking, the ‘meeting’ closer to an assembly line of shaking hands and receiving syllabuses. Cloud supposed he’d really get to see them once the semester started anyway, and a sudden wave a relief washed over him as he recalled the fact that everyone had a week to ‘make themselves at home and prepare for classes’. It didn’t help the other fact that he was already spent, though.

Most universities and colleges hold multiple dates of orientation that students can sign up for during summer. That way, by the time the beginning of school rolled around, everyone knew what to do and freshmen just make sure to attend to the classes. 

Midgar University was far from similar. Freshmen got everything and more on the first day at the same time, another of the establishment's values being ‘completely inclusive’. That was the apparent reason for all of them having to live together, but in contrast, there wasn’t much to complain about. In fact, the freshmen have the entire campus for three full days to themselves. The rest of the student body would come in later, halfway through the week, but at the moment Cloud was grateful for the breathing space. Everything was proving a bit overwhelming.

Cloud could see why no other university did any of that, his eyes fluttering in sleepiness. Now he was facing the part that he’d been dreading from the start. His dorm was right in front of him, and it took a small moment for him to decide to go in. Floor 27, room 308.

Cloud sighed, too tired to feel anxious. Despite it being evening, he wanted nothing more than to fall on the bed and sleep. Who cares about the roommate anyway? Cloud took the key from his bag and absently wondered if he had gotten here first.

The door swung open swiftly and revealed a simple, but somehow almost luxurious, room. It was a decent sized, a small living room area in front of a kitchen that used its counter as a divider, and one door on the right. Cloud pushed pass and peaked inside, coming to a room with two large beds and two desks on the other side. Past that was another door that he could only assume was the bathroom and shower. 

Cloud almost released the breathe he was holding, instead flinching due to seeing a sudden movement through the corner of his eye. A heap he hadn’t noticed before on one of the beds stirred. 

Cloud froze.

“Is someone there?” A deep voice drawled, the words slurred as the figure yawned. He sat up, blankets falling away. A man with jet black hair began stretching as he woke, his build evidently decently muscular right off the bat. He opened his eyes and immediately focused in on Cloud at the doorway as the blonde tried not to audibly gasp. His eyes were blue with blinding streaks of green, the pupils shining in the dark room.

They were Mako eyes.

“Oh, hey!” The man exclaimed, a smiling overtaking his features. “You must be my roommate! Strife, right?” He hopped off the bed with sudden agility and extended a hand. 

“I’m Zack!”

“Cloud.” He breathed in reply, trying to process everything. Zack seemed to realize at that moment too as he took a step back.

“You have…”

“Mako eyes.” Cloud finished, the abrupt connection throwing him off. Never in a million years did he think that he’d be rooming with a Makoen, let alone see one. It was practically an endangered race at this point, Cloud knowing of only enough to still count on one hand, most of them propelled to fame by the rare trait. The only discernible difference are the eyes that mimicked the colors of the life stream; a mythological blue and green “power force” of the planet. 

A set of matching pupils gauged each other, and Cloud couldn’t help but crack a grin first. “Sorry, I wasn’t expecting this at all.” he confessed, scratching the back of his neck. Zack's surprise melted away almost immediately and he smiled again.

“No worries, me neither." He laughed and and crossed his arms. "I guess I lucked out! I didn't know I'd get to see another Makoen!" 

At his genuine enthusiasm, Cloud couldn't help but relax. So far his roommate seemed pretty friendly. Not including the fact that he’s the same rare race, that is. 

“You’re actually the first I meet in person.” Cloud mentioned as he put down his bag and papers on one of the desks. “So I guess we have a lot in common already, huh?” He offered light laughter as he mentally prayed his attempt at conversation was working. His anxiety wasn’t helped that this was more than just his roommate now; this is a Makoen.

“For sure! We have the same major after all… But-”

Zack sat on the edge of his bed and Cloud soon followed, sitting across from him on his own bed. 

“-what clubs or extracurriculars are you signing up for?” Zack finished, a curious expression on his features. The question caught the blonde off guard, taking him a moment to recall. 

“Well, I’m going to for sure sign up for the marching band, and maybe the swim team this fall depending. As for clubs I’m not entirely sure yet… Oh! But the library and the animal shelter club did catch my attention!”  
“No way! I’m doing marching band too! I don’t swim, but I play basketball and baseball. I would do football too if it wasn’t for the, you know, band.” Zack chuckled and leaned closer excitedly.

“Can I guess the instrument you play?”

Cloud blinked, taken aback, then playfully shrugged. “Go for it.”

Zack lit up at the approval, becoming dramatical determined and placing a hand on his chin as he contemplated. His gaze drew slowly top to bottom then back again, and Cloud had to do his best to keep from fidgeting unter the intense stare.

“Can I see your hand?”

Cloud wasn’t sure whether to comply before yielding to the request, unintentionally noticing how warm Zack’s hands were when he held his. The blonde held his breath as the study continued. The room suddenly felt warmer, but he was positive this was because of Zack being a stranger, but couldn’t help the unusual blush warming up on his cheeks. Cloud never blushes. 

Before the time stretched too long, he saw Zack smile triumphantly and look back up.

“Percussion!” He beamed, straightening back up. “Or more specifically, drumline!”

There wasn’t the slightest hint of doubt in his voice and the certainty only added to the shock Cloud felt. 

“Lucky guess?” he joked, receiving a light laugh and shake of the head from Zack. 

“Actually, it was kind of obvious.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah!” Zack numbered a one on his hand. “Firstly, you have the perfect body type for it. I know it’s kind of stereotypical, but your back and arms looked the most toned. But then again, your lean physique could be from swimming. But second, your hand says it all...” 

He leaned forward again, this time grabbing both of Cloud’s hands. He traced over and began drawing circles with his thumbs on the top of the blonde’s palm.

“The skin here is a lot more firm, and there’s light traces of scarring from blisters. In other words, calluses. In the exact places where the sticks would rub.”

Cloud watched agape, staring at the base of his own fingers where years of drumming left the area hardened. “But how did you notice so easily? I even forgot I had these.”

Zack smirked. “Because I’m a great detective.” He winked jokenly before giving way and laughing. “Okay, honestly, my first point just had happened to line up, but really you just didn’t look like the brass or woodwind type. A hunch, I guess.” He shrugged and continued. “As for your hand, I only know because I have the same thing.”

Zack slightly pulled back his hands, showing them palm-side up and revealing a similar condition as Cloud’s. It was barely noticeable, really. Despite that however, on closer inspection, it was evident they were more defined than the blonde’s. 

For some reason the acknowledgment of sharing the same wear made Cloud’s chest swell. “You’re drumline too then?”

“Tenor.” Zack replied, looking back expectedly. 

“Snare.” Cloud answered.

“Eyyyy!” They high-fived at this seemingly instant brotherhood, laughing with enthusiasm at the prospect.

Cloud honestly didn’t expect it go so easy or great. Heck, he didn’t even expect it to go well at all. Zack was actually really easy to talk to, and he made the conversation flow so effortlessly. The blonde was positive that, no matter how friendly, he would manage to butcher it or make it awkward, but Zack was so charismatic is was nearly impossible to. 

They found themselves delving into the countless stories of high school marching band they had, those turning into stories from school, into stories of friends, into stories of even more stories. 

Cloud found himself surprised that it felt so natural and that he was opening up so willingly. He usually kept to himself, and only said the bare minimum when having to hold a conversation to keep things from being awkward. But he didn't stick to the bare minimum, and it never got even close awkward. 

There was something about Zack that Cloud couldn't find the words to describe. It was definitely surprising, but he reasoned it was just because they were both Makoen. Little was known about the race, so there were countless rumors and sayings, some being about spiritual connections with each other. Cloud never believed those, but right now he couldn't find any other explanation.

Cloud laughed in disbelief as Zack finished telling about the time he broke his nose playing frisbee as a kid.

"Ever since then, they called me Blackie all throughout elementary! Apparently I looked like one of those dogs getting hit in the face in those 'Try not to laugh' videos."

They laughed again, Cloud at this point holding his gut. It was going to be sore tomorrow. 

"Now that you mention it, something about you kind of reminds me of a dog." The blonde paused and gasped. "In a good way, I mean!" 

They doubled over again, Zack going along with it. "I mean I haven't really changed since then, to be fair. The other day I hit my head running into a glass door!" He ruffled his own hair in the spot as he recalled. "In my defense, it was super clean!"

Cloud shook his head as he took a moment to breathe properly. "Ah," he began after a moment, feeling content.

"I have to be honest, I was terrified about meeting you." 

At that, Zack paused, sudden curiosity taking his features. "You were? How come?"

Cloud felt a surge of guilt seeing the noirette's concern. "Well, that was before I knew you of course." He started, "I'm just overly paranoid I guess. I convinced myself I'd get a roommate that would hate me." He guffawed, recalling how over dramatic he was. "Probably because of all of the rumors with, you know, Midgar's dorm system."

Zack nodded knowingly at the mention of the university's number one complaint. "Oh, don't worry, it's understandable." He smiled at him jovially, then it faltered. "But, do you think it's true? About the graduation rate?"

"Maybe. I could see a lot of people dropping out if they were forced to room all 4 years with someone they hate." Cloud shrugged before continuing, "But, I was worried for nothing."

The blonde gave him a warm smile. Part of him didn't know how he already decided this was the beginning of a good relationship, but somehow he just knew it. 

Zack's expression was unreadable for a second, before it finally cracked into a huge grin. 

"Yup, you have nothing to worry about!" He assured, putting his hands behind his head in a lounging fashion. He glanced at the window realizing the time. "Speaking of which, why don't we get something to eat at the courtyard? It's about dinner time. My treat!" 

Cloud contemplated before he starting shaking his head as the words fully processed. "Oh no, no! I can pay for myself! I wouldn't ask that of you!"

"No, I insist!"

"There's no way I'm letting you do that." Cloud said, still too giddy to sound completely serious.

"We'll see." Zack challenged, already on the move. He got the blonde's arm and practically dragged him out of their dorm. The door closing behind them, they made their way down the stairs and the noirette kept the lead, seemingly having a place already in mind. 

The air was cool now that the sun was setting, the rays painting all the grass and trees in reds and oranges. It’s wasn’t like Cloud could take his time to enjoy the view, though.

He continued getting pulled along and struggled a little bit keeping up. He hadn’t noticed until now that Zack was taller than him almost half a foot, and his strides were also alike to those of an athlete. He had no trouble basically sprinting the entire way, despite it not being the shortest of distance. 

“Hold up!” Cloud protested, running low on breathe by the time they reached the opening of the courtyard. They came to a pause, both panting for a moment.

“What is it?” Zack asked, his hair ruffled from the run and from the wind. 

“It’s just, uh…” Cloud fidgeted, unsure of how to say it, so he looked down. “You can let go now.”

“Huh?”

It took Zack a long second to realize and take in the fact that he was holding the blonde’s hand. He had been pulling him by the arm at first and, somehow, that was no longer the case. Not only that, but he hadn’t let him go the entire time.

“Oh!” Zack recoiled immediately. “I’m sorry about that!” He scratched the back of his neck embarrassingly.

The absence Cloud felt when Zack took his hand away was not one he was expecting to notice. He smiled anyway.

“It’s fine. So where were you taking me to in the first place? Your mind seemed pretty made up about it.” He teased, subconsciously rubbing his arm on the spot it was held at moments before.

“Oh yeah, I did huh?” Zack laughed forcefully. It seemed as if he was still embarrassed, Cloud even thought that he saw some blush growing, but he figured it was the reddening sunlight bathing them instead.

“Actually, I’m just really hungry and I guess I can get a little overly enthusiastic about food.” He suddenly chuckled. “Oh god, I do sound like a dog, don’t I?”

Cloud joined the laughter, relaxing again and putting his hands in his pockets. “Well, we did make some good time. Let's browse around?”

"Sounds good!"

The boys made their way into the open space, the area illuminated brightly still by the light coming from inside the buildings and from the lights that hung across overhead. They were strung about in a immaculate fashion, wrapping around trees and reflecting like stars in the water of the large fountain that was at the center. It smelled like rain and every breeze wafted a compelling scent from the nearby restaurants.

There seemed to be a couple of the normal fast food chains, but Cloud didn't feel like something he'd eat on any other day. Today was special. Today was the first night in his dream university and first meal he's going to share with the person he'll live with for the next 4 years.

As they continued walking, they passed a few more buildings and, in mutual silence, agreed to keep looking. The plaza wasn't packed, but there was a good amount of students around who had the same idea and were strolling around. The boys made their way to the side that had the nicer restaurants and assortment of cafes, Cloud pausing in front of a building entitled 'Chocobo's Noodles'. 

It was on the smaller side compared to the nearby restaurants, but it was quaint and seemed cozy. It's atmosphere seemed to be the perfect blend, not too fancy or intimidating, but radiated warmth while remaining inviting. 

"How do you feel about ramen?" Cloud asked, watching as Zack took in the cafe. "My favorite." He grinned.

They walked in slowly, taking in the surroundings. The floors were dark wood, but there was a reoccurring bamboo theme in the design of the seats and in the trim of the wall. Paper lanterns hung above the tables, and the sound of water was streaming from the corner of an indoor waterfall spring. Very Zen like, Cloud thought, as he looked for a table. It looked very open and had an array of options, from booths to a sitting area that looked for like a living room. Sudden excitement filled him because, dang, did it smell  _ good _ . 

"Hey, I think we order at the front." Zack pointed out, gesturing at the counter. "Yeah, that's what it looks like." Cloud agreed, momentarily halting his search for a table to instead make his way to the line. 

They gauged the menu that was displayed on the wall behind the counter thoroughly. It seemed this place specialized in ramen and tea, practically having nothing else besides the run-of-the-mill fountain drinks and sides of rice. 

"Hi, welcome to Chocobo's Noodles! How may I help you?" 

Cloud didn't realize they were already at the register, and was almost about to panic, having no idea what to order, but Zack swooped in and saved him.

"Hey! I'll have today's special with some green tea, please."

"Iced or hot?"

"Iced."

"And today's special ramen is spicy, is that alright?"

"Of course!" 

Zack was extremely suave, and Cloud had known he was charismatic, but seeing how easy he made it look was daunting. Then again, Cloud found a lot of social tasks difficult when unprepared. He figured that he was just a tad shy and was okay with that most of the time, but next to Zack it was almost embarrassing. He took the time gratefully though to get himself together. He just had to breathe.

"And what about you?"

The cashier turned to him, and the blonde instinctually gave his charming smile that he always gave to strangers when he needed familiarity to ease into. It seemed wrong at first, but Cloud was always told growing up that he was attractive, so he figured he'd use it to his advantage. He'd try to get the other to fluster or swoon, not because he liked the attention, but because it meant they would let their guard down. It was a lot easier to not mess up when there isn't someone who wants you to. At the very least, it makes them friendlier, and it worked. 

The cashier smiled back, acutely becoming unaware of how Cloud took extra seconds to decide what to order.

"Can I please get the chicken ramen with some water?" 

"Yes! Will that be all?"

"Yeah."

"Alright, your guy's total comes out to $18.40."

"I got it." Zack said, already pulling the card out of his wallet. Cloud gasped, completely caught. He was spending so much energy trying to get through a social interaction, as usual, the he didn't even realize what Zack was doing. Even worse, Zack was  _ expecting _ Cloud to trip up. The noirette wore a smug smile as he slid the card.

"No, Zack I can-"

He held up a hand, successfully cutting the blonde off. "I insisted, besides…"

The receipt printed and Zack looked down at Cloud, smirking. "It's already done. You can have the receipt though." He had gotten unnecessarily close and has this strange low tone that sent shivers down the blonde's spine despite the words itself being entirely mundane.

Cloud was speechless. Not only had he just gotten a glimpse of this completely different side was Zack, but it made him feel something stir in his gut. Zack's voice had gotten deep and his tone was more than teasing, plus the look he gave him had something  _ different _ than before. He didn't like it, so he didn't address it and opted to pretend that the heat warming his face wasn't actually there. 

"Zack, I’m going to pay you back.”  
But he wasn’t listening. Or, at least, he was already walking away with his back turned. Cloud went after him and grabbed his arm, making him swing around. He still had that stupid grin on.

“I’m going to pay you back.” He repeated, challenging him with the glare in his eyes. Zack just scoffed. He was doing it again. “Don’t act so stubborn.” he teased, getting too close to Cloud’s face for comfort. The blonde rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, but it was clear it held no real malice. He resigned in figuring out whatever angle Zack was suddenly playing at and decided to just find a decent table and forget about it. 

“Cloud! Hey Cloud!!!” 

Cloud flinched hearing the high-pitched voice call him from across the room. He recognized that voice.

“Tifa?”

She waved enthusiastically from a booth that she was sitting at with another girl Cloud had never seen before. 

“Aerith?” Zack mumuttered, catching the blonde’s attention. The smug grin was completely gone, and Cloud would’ve been happy if it wasn’t for the flicker of what look like pain flash in his eyes.

“You know her?”

Whatever it was that Cloud could see was suddenly gone, Zack breaking into a careful smile. “Yeah… we kind of have some history…” he confessed.

Cloud raised his eyebrows, “Really?” Zack shifted between each foot as if he didn’t want to say, but finally sighed and let it spill.

“She’s my ex.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, not too much has happened yet, but I have so many ideas of cute stuff like dates they'll go on later! This is a slow burn though, so please bare with me and stay patient! I hope you enjoyed it, and sorry for any OOC. I'd like to think they'd turned out a little less e d g y from growing up in a world more like ours. Chapter 3 will have more settling and world building, but chapter 4 will go into Zack's perspective ^^ Stay tuned!


	3. Chocobo's Noodles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Mostly, except for as soon as Cloud walked in, my heart started flying and the room became brighter."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, this one was a little harder to push out, but here's chapter 3! And just for clarification for some things I forgot to mention in the last chapter notes, this AU is mostly akin to our world. Unfortunately, the chocobos we know do not exist ;-; Also the life stream is just a myth and Makoen is just a race, there's no super powers or SOILDER. I like to make a lot of references though, so I hope the mention of mako and Midgar and chocobos and Shinra weren't too confusing! With that out of the way, I hope you enjoy!

If Cloud and Zack were already considered friends, Tifa and Aerith were practically sisters.

They would lean into each other when they'd laugh, and also looked at each other with the same expression at the same time whenever Zack said something silly, which was pretty constantly. Cloud found it rather endearing seeing his best friend get along so well with her roommate. After all, with all they went through together back in Nibleheim, he knew how catty and fake girls could be and how Tifa got hurt from it way too many times. Aerith wasn't bad at all though.

She carried this ray of sun with her smile and her laugh crinkled her eyes and scrunched her nose in a pretty way. Her light brown hair was longer than Tifa's, even in the high ponytail, and she had the deepest green eyes Cloud had ever seen.

At first, when Tifa had called the boys to sit with them at their booth, Aerith would giggle quietly and look away or cover her mouth politely. Cloud couldn't figure if she remained reserved because of meeting him, a stranger, or because of Zack, her ex. Either reason soon proved to evaporated over the course of the meal, however, as the group quickly got comfortable with each other and became engaged with each others' every word. 

Cloud really couldn't stop thanking the stars for getting such friendly roommates.

Their dynamic was interesting though, to say the least. Tifa and Zack almost rivaled each other in charisma while Aerith and Cloud shared more toned down approaches. The blonde was confident though that she did so out of natural grace. Heck, nothing about her could ever be awkward, it felt like. Cloud didn't think he could be wrong with that assessment, despite thinking the same of Zack and ending up a  _ little _ wrong. Almost shockingly, the infinitely confident and self-assured noirette actually  _ faltered _ when they first sat down with the girls.

Aerith had greeted Zack kindly and asked how he's been, but he kind of stared at her dumbstruck for a moment before clearing his throat and asking her what she said again. Cloud feared for a split second that having dinner with two former lovers was a terrible idea, but had been temporarily soothed when Zack told him before that they ended on good terms and were still friends. And fortunately, that seemed to hold true and the rest of the night was smooth. Cloud was surprised to see then interact so casually at first, but was thankful nonetheless and decided to not even bother questioning it.

Now they all conversed at their cozy table, the air sweet with the lingering scent of noodles, the bowels now all empty and stacked in the center. Aerith was listening as Cloud drank from his straw contently.

"Wow, and here I thought Makoens were all meant to be broody and the introverted type!" Tifa joked, pointing across the table at Cloud but looking only at Zack. "But then there's you!" She dramatically gestured at his current predicament; Zack was in the middle of showing them how he could turn a straw wrapper into the tiniest paper plane known to mankind.

"I am not broody!" Cloud shot back, acting offended but too happy to actually care. He scoffed, " _ I _ just have a social limit. You're just jealous I can make it by myself fine without needing to talk to anyone for  _ days _ ."

Zack stopped. He looked at Cloud incredulously and Aerith seemed to start laughing at his reaction.

"You won't talk to people for days?!  _ Willingly _ ?"

Before Cloud could respond Tifa laughed and nodded. "When we were younger I used to think he got grounded a lot or something! He'd never go out to play with the other kids and I don't even think we would have hanged out at first if it wasn't for our moms!" She paused, looking up as she recalled the time. "And then, one day, I was flying a kite and it got stuck way high up on a water tower. I climbed to the top using the ladder, though I had to jump a fence, pretty sure I could've gotten in big trouble, but I go anyway and I end up finding Cloud there! Just sitting up there as if it was the most normal thing in the world! Turns out he would just sit there almost all the time!" 

Zack lightly elbowed Cloud in disbelief, "For real?"

"The view was nice!" He defended, laughing at how genuinely shocked the noirette seemed to be. 

"I would die if I tried living like that." He joked, over exaggerating and making Cloud roll his eyes playfully.

"You also said you would die without chocolate."

"Says the one who needs coffee!"

"Energy boosters are different than sweets, Zack."

"That must be why you're broody! You need to eat more sweets!"

"I am not broody!" Cloud repeated, trying to push the noirette's shoulder in defense. Zack wouldn't even budge and just laughed.

"You guys are complete opposites." Aerith said, smiling at how vigorously Tifa was nodding.

Cloud made a face and stuck out his tongue. He knew he was acting childish, but didn't care too much at the moment. They were all just having fun. 

"But seriously, as an anthropology major, I'd really like to know. Are any of the rumors true?" Aerith asked, her green eyes shining.

"About Makoens?"

She confirmed Cloud's question by nodding and sipped her tea expectantly. See, that was the main difference between Tifa and Aerith so far. Tifa was in the field because of the mythology side, finding the stories interesting. Aerith, on the other hand, was a real scholar about the subject. She seemed passionate about her botany minor (she loves flowers) but she treated her major just as special. Her dad was a scientist, and she had said she got a lot of her curiosity from him. 

Cloud shifted, unsure of what else to say. "Well most of the rumors are just about us apparently able to form instinctual connections with other Makoens and stuff like that. There's a few about immunity to certain viruses and some about understanding ancient writing. A lot are apparent connections to cats, because of, well, the eyes." He shrugged. "I don't think any are true though. We just have the same colored eyes that glow in the dark and pupils that turn into slits when we're angry. I don't even think our visions is any better."

Aerith nodded, seemingly heard similar things before. "At least, that's me. What about you Zack?" Cloud asked, turning to face him. The rest of the table did too. Zack thought for a second, oblivious to all the waiting eyes on him.

"I don't think Zack has much different to say." Aerith mentioned. "Well, since back then." She quickly added. "But...What I'm really curious about, is what you guys think of  _ each other _ . You're both the first Makeon you've met, right?" 

Cloud found himself unwantedly flushing at her wording. He had to remind himself it was about their race, not their relationship. He didn't know why the thought was such a big deal though, why did his mind even go there? They're just roommates and newly acquainted friends. 

Zack, on the other hand, didn't change his position and still looked in thought before he hummed to himself.

"I kind of forget I'm even a Makoen to be honest, so meeting Cloud seemed mostly normal."

"Mostly?" Tifa inquired, actually interested. Growing up with a Makoen lost it's glamor prettying quickly, but the question Aerith posed was completely new. Cloud never heard of Makoens meetings or how it turned out, because the genetic heredity was flakey and skipped generations seemingly randomly, if it reappeared at all. Neither Cloud nor Zack's parents were Makoen and they were an increasingly disappearing race. The idea certainly brought up a whole new string of possibilities, Cloud could understand Tifa's sudden interest. 

"Mostly…" Zack confirmed, he paused before breaking into a grin. A mischievous grin. That look alone was enough to make the blonde tense.

"Mostly, except for as soon as Cloud walked in, my heart started flying and the room became brighter." He dramatically swung an arm around Cloud, leaning close and ignoring the strong protest from the blonde.

"It was like barely realizing that I had an emptiness inside. An emptiness that only another Makoen could fill." He continued, his voice sounding akin to a dramatic old style poet. 

"Ha ha HA. Very funny, Zack." Cloud tried to push him away with no avail, and this only spurred the noirette on. He somehow managed to get

_ closer _ .

Cloud was trying his best not to panic. He knew Zack was only joking, but it didn't help how he was practically all over him and he prayed the girls didn't notice all of the blood rushing to his face. Luckly, they seemed to find his little act funny and were busy laughing. Zack was really good at making anything seem hilarious, so Cloud tried to make use of the time he had to get his flustering under control. Why did he even have to calm down in the first place? The blonde sighed exasperatedly, having no idea why he's been acting so strange just because of the things being  _ implied _ . He didn't like it.

The rumble of Zack's gruff laughter reached Cloud, and he used the opportunity of his distraction to push him off. He let go, but willingly on his own terms, and stretched out his arms high above his head.

"Ahhh… As much as I'd actually want that to be true," he let his arms fall and slouched with it, "I don't think there's really anything special with Makoens. It's probably a stupid trait that doesn't know how to stay alive and probably needs millions of dollars in research and a team of scientists in order to purposely conserve it."

Aerith gasped. "Like pandas?" The connection made her almost bounce with enthusiasm and, just like that, the scientist in her was gone and replaced with a young girl. Zack laughed at her comment and leaned forward to make better eye contact.

"Yes, like pandas."

His tone was filled with warmth and there was a certain sort of intimacy that could only come after knowing each other for years. The look they shared for the split instance made something suddenly stir in Cloud's gut. The image of them being boyfriend and girlfriend was suddenly too clear to see. 

Cloud averted his gaze, feeling like it was something he wasn't supposed to see and not liking the feelings (he's refusing to give a name to) that the idea was bringing up.

Zack seemed to notice it too, because he leaned away almost suddenly and cleared his throat. He sighed, "Well it's getting late, we should probably turn in soon."

Aerith nodded, yawning as if on cue. "It was nice seeing you again, Zack." She stood up and turned to Cloud. "And it was so nice to meet you, Cloud. Thank you for indulging my questions about Makoens." 

Cloud nodded and couldn't help but feel better and at ease seeing her smile.

Tifa followed Aerith out of the booth and Cloud after Zack, a sudden wave a sleepiness hitting him. "It was so nice meeting you too." He answered Aerith. They exchanged smiles and hugged, bidding each other goodnight and letting go. 

Cloud made his way to Tifa, embracing her for the umpteenth time that day. They both smiled contently. They've all have had long days and he was so happy to get to be here with his best friend. She lightly squeezed him, feeling the same. 

"Goodnight, Tifa."

"Goodnight, Cloud."

They let go after a good moment and Cloud instinctively turned to hug Zack. 

"Goodnight, Zack."

Zack hugged him back but laughed lightly, "Looks like someone is already falling asleep." Cloud frowned, not knowing what he meant. He stayed holding him for a moment before jumping back, the realization finally clicking.

"Oh! Sorry! I, like- completely forgot that we live- well, share a dorm, and-"

Zack laughed. "It's fine, don't worry about it."

"Bye!" The girls called out. They had walked to the front door and turned back to wave. Cloud was grateful for the opportunity to look away from Zack and he waved back to them thankfully. He hoped that he didn't notice the light blush.

Cloud mentally noted a possible checkup at the doctor's, he was blushing way too much lately for it to be normal. And it was because of Zack.

Shit. That only sounded worse. 

"Want anything before we head back?" Zack asked, he seemed to have been regarding him pensively, and Cloud realized he had just been standing there silently for a bit. Great.

Cloud shook his head. The ramen shop had a shelf of snacks for sale that Zack was gesturing to, but nothing was more tempting to Cloud other than sleep. "No thanks." He started making his way out and Zack followed, "Besides, I need to pay you back." Cloud added.

By this point they had made it out of the cafe. It was completely dark out and the stars were actually visible. It was almost out-of-worldly how the campus feigned anything that would point to the fact that it was in the middle of the largest city in the world. Cloud would've been awestruck by the beauty if it wasn't for the boulder of sleepiness hitting him. 

It was the combination of the initial tiredness he had when he first had gotten to the dorm and now all of the added time socializing and staying awake was definitely not helping. Zack made a comment about not letting him pay him back and Cloud just replied with a gruff hum and just kept walking. 

"So this is the infamous 'broody' Cloud." Zack mused, noticing the blonde's sudden grumpiness easily. 

"It's just when I'm tired." Cloud commented, only mustering a smile instead the usual laugh and retort. Gosh how did he even make it this far? It felt as if he had been ignoring his body's protest all day and now the heaviness was really weighing down on him. 

The way back to the dorm was fuzzy. Zack and Cloud made most of the walk in silence besides the chirps of crickets and the only notable part was how close Cloud was to contemplating death when he realized he'd have to climb 27 flights of stairs. There was an elevator, but he never liked taking the elevator, so to Zack's confusion, Cloud trudged his way up the steps anyway.

Opening the door brought a new wave of relief and exhaustion. Cloud immediately found his suitcase and went to the bathroom to shower and change into pjs; a white undershirt and black basketball shorts. He walked out with a towel around his neck, water droplets stuck to his hair. 

"Are you going to shower next?" He asked, hand hovering over the light switch. Zack was on the bed browsing on his phone and looked up at Cloud, taking a few seconds before he answered.

"Oh, yeah. Thanks." He grabbed a bundle of clothes and passed through the doorway, closing the door and leaving Cloud alone in their dorm. He sighed exasperatedly. 

_ That _ was the only problem.

Cloud had been getting flustered and embarrassed for no reason countless of times throughout the day, and it was a growing concern that he couldn't ignore now that he was alone with his thoughts. The blonde crawled into bed feeling absolutely drained both physically and emotionally, taking out his phone with his final efforts.

He didn't really know when it started, or where he got the idea from, but Cloud had a list on his memo app titled simply 'Log'. It wasn't a schedule or anything, he could stay decently organized without writing anything down, but instead it was a stream of vague bullet points labeled with dates. 

Whether it was with himself or with someone else, anything like a new habit or a certain interaction he had, he'd list it. It was really useful when it came to picking up on red flags earlier and stuff, but mostly it helped him sort out his emotions.

Cloud looked over the more recent ones blankly, tapping the screen to open the keyboard and to add another bullet.

**_9/27: Zack, strange feelings (?)_ **

He squinted at the bright screen, regarding it pensively. He always hated admitting things, but that was a start, and even though it wasn't a diary or anything, it felt a little embarrassing nonetheless. Sighing, Cloud quickly swiped through a few texts and notifications before putting his phone away to charge at the bed stand. 

Thoughts, swinging from the joy of having a great first day, to relief of having a nice roommate, to the confusion of feeling  _ something _ , swam in his head for some minutes before he concluded that he was just anxious and hyper sensitive today. 

It was probably nothing.

And before he could even think of anything else, sleep pulled him into its warm embrace. The pillow was so soft and the blanket was so warm. The last thing Cloud felt was overall happiness, and he couldn't help but smile.

It's going to be fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aw, poor Cloud doesn't know what's going to hit him xD Shoot, I have a timeline but it's going to take a lot more chapters than I thought, but I don't want to rush anything either. Hopefully you enjoyed and this wasn't too boring! Next chapter is Zack's perspective and will be the first day of class!


	4. Zack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Damn, I know I'm attractive but you don't have to stare."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah I've been so excited to write this fourth chapter! The first other love interest for this lil' harem is introduced and Zack becomes, let's just say… decided. xD I hope you enjoy!

Zack woke up early for once.

The birds were chirping and the sun's rays were barely combing through the trees and melting into the dorm room in shafts. Even inside the bedroom, it smelled like morning dew.

Too early.

He groaned, willing himself to get up. The 

discomfort of hunger told him that trying to fall back asleep wasn't an option, so he dragged himself out of bed and went to the bathroom.

After running his hands through his hair a couple of times, Zack was satisfied he looked fine and walked out. Cloud was fast asleep on his bed, curled up on one side and breathing slowly, snuggled into the blankets and pillows. 

He looked cute.

Then again, Zack had been having that thought constantly. It's been a week since meeting the blonde, and he was proud to say they were becoming close. He remembered the first day he saw him; Zack had been lying down on bed rather boredly and hoping someone interesting would walk through the door.

And boy, were they interesting. 

Zack remembered hearing the door open and getting up to see, what must've been, the cutest blonde in the world. The boy had fluffy hair that framed his face, one side falling longer pass his chin and the other side shorter, his ear adorned with a piercing visible. Zack didn't know he was into guys with earrings, but Cloud made it work. Or maybe it was his slim but fit physique, or the way his deep blue button up shirt brought out his eyes. 

His eyes.

He was  _ Makoen _ . How lucky could Zack get? He was so overwhelmed that he had been just staring at him, before Cloud smiled and apologized about not expecting Zack to also be Makoen.  _ He _ apologized!

Immediately Zack could tell this was someone that had a heart of gold and didn't even know it. The modest way he'd laugh as if he mainly wanted to make the other feel special, the expression he'd wear as he'd listen, completely involved, and the shy way he'd start off his own stories, ending with uncounted enthusiasm because he genuinely cared a lot. And when he'd smiled… Zack didn't even know where to begin. 

At first, Zack tried to blow it off. Was it shallow he was already so attracted to him? Was it cliche he clicked with him so instantly? But Zack couldn't help but find himself instinctually  _ flirting _ with him at Chocobo's Noodles. He saw Cloud smile at the cashier in this charming fashion that made Zack feel the need to make the blonde pay attention to  _ him _ instead. He definitely felt better when he got Cloud to even fluster.

Now Zack wouldn't consider himself a flirt by all means. It was different when it came to Cloud though, as if there was this instinctual magnetic draw that was almost painful to fight against. Zack blamed it on being Makoen, but knew that he shouldn't pine for someone completely uninterested. After all, the blonde could be 100% straight. But then, when Zack had started to flirt with him, he swore he would catch Cloud  _ blushing _ . 

Cloud would actually friken blush.

That was all Zack needed to keep flirting. As an excuse anyway. After all, pining for someone  _ oblivious _ is allowed, right? Either way, by the end of the week, Zack solidified his justifications for liking Cloud. By now he could say with honesty that he knew the blonde well enough to have his feelings of attraction be genuine. In fact, Zack was positive his initial reaction was right, because over the course of the week, he only became more and more interested in Cloud.

But if Zack was being honest, he was still holding back. 

His ''flirting" was more on the subtle side, and he didn't necessarily make any moves, satisfied with getting the occasional blush and flustering from Cloud and that's all. But that's because thinking of it more seriously than "chasing after the cute blonde" made Zack nervous. He didn't have commitment issues or anything, but he didn't feel ready for any sort of serious relationship. 

Not after Aerith.

So Zack took solace in just enjoying a great roommate and he decided to make breakfast for both of them. He went to the kitchen and got pancakes started, flipping the 7th one by the time he saw a groggy blonde walk through the door.

Despite carrying a dark expression, Cloud entering was like a ray of sun. His light golden locks were a complete mess of bed hair, but it was somehow even more appealing, and he wore a grey shirt with dark blue pj pants. Zack wondered for a moment how long it'd take the blonde to get comfortable enough with him to sleep shirtless, before remembering it was fall and about to be winter. Oh well.

"Good morning!" He chimed, finding Cloud's sleepy glare amusing.

"It's early." 

It wasn't a question, but a statement. Zack shrugged and answered anyway. "I know. I just woke up hungry and couldn't go back to sleep."

Cloud just nodded, taking a seat at a bar stool on a counter facing Zack.

"Pancakes?"

"Yup! It's the only thing I really know how to make, but I promise you they're going to be the best you've ever had! Besides, today's special…"

"Oh?"

"It our first day of class!" Zack reminded, looking away from the stove to make eye contact. Cloud seemed to have flinched, having actually forgotten at that moment.

"Oh." Was all he said.

Zack grinned, "May I just say, I love how articulate you are in the mornings." Cloud rolled his eyes but returned the smile. He stretched and yawned, slouching into a position with his head propped by one hand.

"Sorry. I'm not a morning person." He mumbled. Zack shook his head and plated two stacks of pancakes defiantly.

"No need to be sorry! Here."

Cloud stared at it.

"Eat." Zack ordered, grabbing some the can of whipped cream and putting some on his own plate. They didn't have the most stocked fridge at the moment, so butter and syrup were currently missing; whip cream'd have to do. He noticed the look he was getting and gestured with it, "Do you want some?"

Before Cloud could even say anything, Zack handed it to him. Small things like that, the noirette was getting used to doing, because within the past few days he'd gotten a pretty good read on how the blonde operates.

At first, he didn't really know what Tifa was talking about when he first met her and she had called Cloud "broody"; but now Zack could see why. Whenever the blonde was tired, he kind of gave up on socializing and would start to stare off into space. The problem was, he was tired pretty constantly.

Zack found Cloud's "broodiness" endearing though, actually. It wasn't the stereotypical type of broody that screamed emo and was a dramatic attempt at self-isolation and basically an act like an edge of a knife. Instead, Cloud's was more like an intense form of chill. He still smiled and would just seem to be distracted, in fact, he constantly would apologize for it, so Zack could only assume it must be an introvert thing. 

Besides, it was cute the way Cloud would jump back to reality and get embarrassed when he was caught staring off. But Zack had to admit it was concerning sometimes, especially, when left alone, Cloud's expression just looked...sad.

Zack shook his hand in front of the blonde's face, successfully getting his attention, who had been staring off again. Go figures. Cloud blinked once before wordlessly, to the complete shock of Zack, putting an entire mountain of whipped cream on his plate, spiraling it all professionally and everything.

"I thought you weren't into sweets." He mused. That was  _ a lot _ of whipped cream for one person. Cloud laughed weakly, "I guess that I just felt like it today."

Zack regarded the blonde mischievously, "You know, you're making it  _ very _ tempting to whack your head down on that pile of whipped cream."

Cloud paused and looked at him incredulously. "You wouldn't."

"Oh, who knows." Zack got his plate and went around the counter to sit next to Cloud on the other bar stool. The blonde rightfully turned and watched him the whole way with a cautious and suspicious glare, making Zack laugh.

"Damn, I know I'm attractive but you don't have to stare." He teased. 

Cloud's eyes widened and he visibly stuttered, a blush rising to his face before he swiveled back around defiantly.

"Sure, keep telling yourself that." He muttered, picking at his pancakes with forced concentration. He still refused to make eye contact even when Zack took the other seat and scooted closer to him. Instead Cloud slightly puffed his cheeks and huffed, his face still a shade of red. 

How cute.

Zack mentally applauded himself for getting Cloud flustered so early in the morning, it was a record, and he smiled. The pancakes were sweet, the sun was shining, and it was going to be the first day of class.

Nothing could go wrong.

The rest of breakfast went by mostly uneventful, and soon enough, the boys found themselves dressed and walking out of the dorm. Their first class was about to start in 30 minutes.

"What's the schedule again?" Cloud asked as he walked down the final steps of the dormitories, pausing as Zack took out his phone to check.

"11:00-1:00, Basic: Math, and at 3:00-5:00 Basic: Science." Zack read. He scrolled for a bit and they kept walking. "It says here it's the same teacher and building." 

Cloud raised his eyebrows. "Aren't elite schools supposed to have way more resources and teachers than necessary?" 

"Sometimes. Who knows, maybe this guy happens to be the best of the best for both subjects."

Cloud shrugged. "Maybe." He paused, "Hey, do you even remember where we're going?" 

Zack laughed and put his hands on the back of his head. "Relax! I remember!"

A few days ago they had gone 'exploring' the campus. Zack had to convince Cloud to even get out of the dorm, but eventually he figured out that dragging the blonde against his will worked most of the time. They went to every class they would have and also explored other buildings they'd never otherwise go into. Like the visual arts building, which was like going through a museum for free, and afterwards they stopped for lunch at Chocobo's Noodles. Zack smiled at himself remembering, because when it was just the two of them, it felt special. 

He continued to lead the way through several buildings before finding the stairs to proceed to the second floor, grateful for having that other day to get lost while it didn't matter. Today though, it did, and Zack confidently took each turn in the hallway and stopped when he reached the open double doors of the lecture hall.

"We're here."

"So I can see."

Zack gave Cloud a look. "Someone's grumpy." He poked the blonde's shoulder, making him lightly laugh and push his hand away, shaking his head. "Sorry."

"It's okay. Don't worry, I'm sure it'll be  _ super _ interesting."

Cloud scoffed. "Now look at who's being sarcastic." He crossed his arms. "But you know, I actually like math."

Zack raised his eyebrows. "Really?" He feigned a surprised expression and gasped. "Oh my god! You're a total nerd!" He laughed and scruffed Cloud's hair playfully.

"Hey!"

Zack ignored his protest and made his way into the classroom, Cloud following close behind while running hands through his hair in an attempt to fix the damage.

"What was that for?" Cloud complained, his voice lacking any actual anger. He sat down next to Zack and looked around, barely realizing where the noirette decided to sit.

They were smack in the front and center.

They were, so far, the only ones in that area, though a decent amount of students were spread throughout the rest of the room. Zack sat there because it was the clearest spot, but Cloud frowned as he took that in.

"Do we really have to sit in the front?" He whined, this time genuinely distressed. Zack raised his eyebrows. "Is it really a problem?"

"Yes."

"Seriously?"

"Yes!" 

He looked at Cloud for moment, opening his mouth to reply, when he abruptly got cut off.

"Hey, is this the freshman math class?"

A man who Zack had never seen before had came up to them. His red hair appeared short and spiky, but a long ponytail fell over his shoulder and a few longer strands of bangs ran down his face. He was pointing to the screen on his phone and was showing Cloud what must've been the online schedule. 

Zack could easily lean over a little to see,but by the time he did, Cloud was already nodding. "Yeah, you're in the right place."

"So you're a business major too then, right?"

"Architect, actually."

"Ohhh, okay. I think we still have the same basics this first semester, though. And I hate to admit it, but…" The man rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, "I'm a complete dunce when it comes to directions. So, do you mind if I use your help for the other classes and, maybe get your number?" 

He handed the phone he was already holding to Cloud, and the blonde took it instinctually before pausing. "Oh, um…" His eyes fluttered back up to the redhead, his hesitancy disappearing seeing the man's pleading look and offering a kind smile instead. "Sure, I guess."

Wait a minute.

Cloud took only a few seconds before handing the phone back, and Zack's eyes narrowed as he witnessed the transpiring interaction occur.

Something wasn't right.

The man took it and, instantly, he dropped the 'lost' act and grinned. He looked at his new contact, "Nice to meet you, Cloud. The name's Reno." He pointed to himself and then up toward the back of the room. "Looks like my roommate found some seats, so I'll get going now."

Right before he left though, and right before Zack could begin to process what was happening, he leaned over and whispered something in Cloud's ear. 

The reaction was immediate.

The blonde's eyes widened and his face became a shade of red so bright that even Zack had never seen it before. 

With the smuggest smirk humanly possible, Reno stood up and started to make his way up the small steps to the back desks, giving Cloud a single wave.

"I'll catch you later, babe!" He clicked his tongue and winked before bounding up the rest of the steps, leaving the pair in stunned silence for a moment.

Cloud buried his head in his arms and groaned in utter embarrassment.

Zack, on the other hand, was frozen.

"Do you realize what just happened?" He started, his voice sounding empty and foreign.

"What?" Cloud mumbled, still hiding his face. Zack turned to look at him better, the cogs turning in his head and as he finally connected all of the dots. 

"A stranger just successfully got your name, your major, and by default, your major's corresponding dorm wing and building,  _ and _ " Zack stressed, "he got your personal number. All in less than five minutes."

Cloud lifted his head, giving Zack a pained expression before plopping it down again. "Ugh, I know. I can't believe that just happened." 

Zack scooted closer in an attempt to get Cloud's attention away from his current sulking, "And," his voice was now barely above a whisper, "I think that guy was hitting on you."

Cloud just buried his head deeper.

But saying that out loud, Zack felt a sudden surge of emotions evoke within. It took awhile for it all to sink in.

_ This guy, was hitting on Cloud _ .

Zack furrowed his brows. How dare that cocky bastard pretend to be in need just to get Cloud's number! And of course he was going to get it, Cloud was too nice to say no! The jerk was taking advantage, and, even worse, he made Cloud fluster more than Zack had ever known possible.

"Oh my god." He muttered, making Cloud lift his head again and peak.

"What?"

"Cloud," Zack started, sounding serious. "Just what did he whisper to you?"

The blonde flinched and blushed, shaking his head.

"Nothing!"

Zack regarded him with his best 'no BS face', his stare pressuring Cloud to elaborate. The blonde sighed.

"Listen, all you need to know, is that he's a shameless pervert." He spat, the anger not against Zack but the bastard himself. That kind of made Zack feel better, seeing Cloud already disliking the guy, but it didn't completely erase the sudden tense feeling he held in his gut.

"Hey," The noirette's expression softened and he put a hand on Cloud's shoulder comfortingly. "At least you won't have to see him anymore, you always can block him."

The blonde smiled, "Thank you, and yeah, that's true." He let out an exasperated laugh. "Class hasn't even started, and I'm spent." He looked around again, "But you know what, I was probably targeted because  _ someone _ thought that sitting in the front and center was a good idea."

Zack laughed, nudging Cloud lightly. "That's definitely why." He joked, getting nudged back by the blonde. "But, if you really want to-," he started, trying to offer moving seats, just when he was suddenly cut off,  _ again _ .

"Good morning, students!" A voice boomed.

The professor walked in, wearing an outfit more akin to a mechanic's and with a face and haircut that practically screamed 'veteran'. All the buzz of students suddenly halted as the middle aged man made his way to his desk, standing in front of it.

"You can call me Professor Highwind. As you know I'll be your math and science basics instructor, so if you find numbers to be challenging, get your asses to work and get your shit together!"

Zack blinked and Cloud looked visibly taken aback. Looks like this professor wasn't a fan of censorship. He continued, not at all fazed by the reaction of his students.

"You all should have read the hand book provided already, but if not, I will recite the rules of this establishment. But! First things first! Look around."

Zack did, and he was suddenly aware of how full the lecture hall was. Between the time of him and Cloud first getting there, students must have been trickling in nonstop and he hadn't noticed.

"Half of you in here are business majors," he began again, gesturing vaguely, "and the other half of you in here are architect majors. Completely kept in perfect categories. A system of this university that I absolutely detest! Just look at yourselves!" He shook his head.

"Every single one of you guys are in pairs! So out of touch with a great opportunity to meet new people on a campus full of scholars, that, even if you hate 'em, your roommate is your only friend! Pathetic!"

"I'm going to change that, right here, right now! You think you guys are adults now, huh? Well guess what, you've already failed so bad that I already had this seating chart made! Like you're in fucking elementary!"

The boys shared a fleeting look of panic, Cloud more so than Zack. But even the noirette had to admit, despite how outgoing he is, he didn't want to get separated from Cloud. He tried to give the blonde a reassuring look despite feeling the opposite, as the idea of Cloud getting paired with the bastard suddenly entered his mind.

Zack tried to shake the thought, and told himself the chances were slim, besides, they don't even have the same major so-

"When I call your name, step out so your partner can identify you! You will be paired with someone of another major!"

Crap. Okay then. Zack took a deep breathe, it was going to be fine. Well, it's not like he was the only one in the room, the chances of Cloud getting paired with-

"First, is Reno and,"

There could be more than one Reno, right? Zack frantically turned to see the same spiky redhead bastard stand, and grimaced.

Shit.

There was still hope. Of course he was going to get called out eventually, that doesn't mean he'll be paired with Cloud or anything-

"Cloud!" Highwind announced.

Of course. Zack wanted to hit his head on the desk. He completely jinxed it!

Instead, he looked at Cloud, who was already standing and being approached by Reno to Zack's horror. He wanted to call after him. He wanted to stop him from going. But he couldn't, so all he could do was clench his fist and grit his teeth.

Reno unabashedly put an arm around Cloud and practically carried him away. Zack would be lying to himself if he thought the bastard wouldn't try anything on the blonde. The possibility alone made Zack want to punch him, and that was saying a lot coming from someone that's hard to get angry.

But,  _ why _ was he so angry? The voice of the professor was drowning out as Zack wondered what made the idea so unbearable. Why was he feeling so protective? 

Yeah he was interested in Cloud, but even Zack had admitted to himself he didn't want anything serious, so it shouldn't be a big deal that  _ someone else _ was interested, right? 

Except that it was.

Zack ended up getting paired with this random girl, Elenor, and found himself being seated on the far left while Cloud was at the far right. They were beyond separated, but Zack was thankful for at least being at a position and angle to perfectly see and make eye contact with Cloud. But then he saw a smug Reno say something, and the blonde turn completely scarlet.

Never mind.

Zack had cooled down a bit, but there was no way he could keep pretending he was fine when the bastard wouldn't stop harassing Cloud. And that's when Zack realized something.

He realized that he wanted to be the only one to make Cloud blush and fluster from a wink or a dirty joke. He wanted to be the only one to get to hold him close. 

He realized he wanted to hug and kiss him. He wanted to hold his hand and take him on dates. It couldn't be 'just chasing the cute blonde anymore' because the world keeps moving on and the world would be filled with people that'd be interested in Cloud too. Filled with people Cloud could end up with instead. There was no time to hold back because of an ex.

Zack would have to get over Aerith.

It's been two years, after all. And when it came to specifically Aerith, he was already over her. It was what had  _ happened _ that he wasn't over. Zack hated feeling like a coward, but if there was one thing that really scared him, it was going into another serious relationship.

He hadn't had a reason the face it. But now he did, because there was Cloud. Zack didn't know how or even  _ what _ he was about to attempt to do, but he did know one thing:

He likes Cloud, and he wants to 'chase' him seriously.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reno isn't going to be an issue at all.... oof


	5. Marching Band

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I hope you know though, your eyes are beautiful."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof, I swear I write too much detail, but I go full band geek in this chapter so here's a key for anyone unfamiliar! ^^ Also just wrote them on the spot so apologies for any over-explaining or if it's unclear!
> 
> Woodwinds: An instrument that uses reeds or was originally made out of wood, typically the higher sounds. (Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone, etc.)
> 
> Brass: An instrument that used metal mouth pieces, typically the lower sounds. (Trumpets, French horn, Baritone, etc.)
> 
> Sets: the spots and corresponding direction, including amount of steps, you take during the movement (marching band).
> 
> Movement: A piece (song) that is being played and marched, a marching band show will typically have 3 movements (songs).
> 
> Sousaphone: A tuba, expect a different form that is used for marching.
> 
> Percussion: An instrument that uses sticks or mallets, the only exception being piano. (Drums, Marimbas, Cymbals)
> 
> Drumline: Percussion that is marched, typically drums (Tenor, Snare, Bass, etc.)
> 
> Pit: Percussion that is not marched and are stationed typically in the front or middle of the field (Marimba, Xylophone, Bells, etc.)
> 
> Winds: Every instrument that needs air to play; not percussion.
> 
> Color Guard: the group that dances and performs choreography with flags, sabers, rifles, and other items that are thrown and spun.
> 
> Drum major: A player chosen by the band director to conduct the marching show and to lead during practices. Could have an assistant drum major or there could be more than one, typically run an entire leadership team.
> 
> Okay, hopefully that's it! There shouldn't be another chapter this detailed in marching band, it's only because this is their first practice along with the introduction of two more ff7 characters! Please enjoy!

Cloud felt in desperate need of a shower as the scent of dirt and sweat pinched his nose. He laid on the patchy grass of the practice field with exhaustion, but content. It was finally cooling down as evening came and the sun began to set, painting the sky in flushed pinks and oranges.

With a gruff sigh, an exhausted noirette plopped down beside Cloud.

"I never knew I was even capable of memorizing that many sets in one day." Zack laughed, turning his head to face the blonde. Cloud just hummed, shutting his eyes and enjoying the bliss of the breeze. 

They laid there for a moment, and for a while it was perfect. It was the only familiar refuge Cloud could claim in such a different place, and he hadn't realized how slightly homesick he had become. Luckily, a sun beat field along with mud and tired bodies are the same whether in the largest city to date or in a town in the middle of nowhere. The comfort was nice.

It shattered when the shriek of a whistle rang in the air. "Break's over! Let's run the first movement and clean up, then it's home!"

There was a mixture of cheers and groans as many students who had also found the ground comfortable rose to their feet, Cloud belonging to the latter group. At least practice was nearly over. 

With a sigh, the blonde brought himself to sit up and stand, leaning down to put on the drum harness. The familiar pressure on the front of his hips and shoulders was a welcome and simultaneously a pain, especially after wearing it for a long while. Next to him, Zack did the same, and Cloud had to admit he was grateful to not have the tenor. Not only was it a set of 6 drums, but it was by far the heaviest and most cumbersome. Not to mention the actual cadences required changing notes unlike the snare's and only 'hit' and 'rim' options. Zack threw it on with a gruff exhale and stretch his arms, though he seemed to not mind it for the most part.

"Everyone, go to the first set!" The head drum major ordered, putting on his white gloves as he took the podium. He was an apparent senior; 'apparent' due to how abnormally young he looked. He looked more like a high school student with his messy scarlet head, scattered with attempts of short braids adorned with feathers and beads, and with freckles that decorated the bridge of his nose. The age showed through only by his behavior and his  _ eyes _ . His eyes held an undeniable fire, along with visible perception and calculation that rivaled the maturity of most adults. Not to mention the scar that trailed down his left side, splintering from his hairline and cutting through his eye before halting at the cheekbone. Cloud hadn’t noticed it until a gust of wind misplaced the long strands of bangs covering it, and chose to not pay too much mind to it. He hadn’t miss the audible gasps and obvious double-takes some other students had, however. It was only out of respect and relating to his situation that the blonde couldn’t help but feel irritated for the drum major.

Being Makoen had brought many similar reactions. And Cloud despised the attention and questions it brought on. “Your eyes look so weird!”, “Woah! They glow?!”, and “Why do your pupils’ look like a cat’s?” were the most popular. Luckily, the race was so rare that many people didn’t even know it existed and wouldn't notice anything unless up close in conversation for multiple minutes, making public interactions with oblivious cashiers and strangers bearable. The iris looked mostly blue and even gray in most lit settings, thankfully. Not to mention Cloud got the hang of controlling when his eyes went into slits, it was pretty standard, actually. It happened when he was angry, and the method was the same as controlling the rest of his facial expressions; just don’t let the anger show. He couldn’t do anything about the glowing, though. It if was night, it was impossible for anyone to miss it, and this time the lack of knowledge of the existence of Makeons was a downside as many people would react absurdly and unabashedly stare and point it out to others to make sure they weren’t going crazy.

Ugh. 

Cloud was relieved practice was coming to a close while the sun was still up. Well, almost. It was setting, but there was enough light combined with the football field’s stadium beams to prevent an issue. As everyone went to their corresponding spot, the blonde couldn’t help but smile. Marching Band was always fun for him. The drum major (Cloud made a mental note to catch his name later) waited on the podium until all the students could see him and stilled. He clapped rhythmically for second before shouting. 

“Band ten hut!”

“Pride!” Every choursed, assuming the attention position. The young redhead began clapping again, the beat this time faster.

“Get your horns up!”

“Horns up!” 

In unison, brass and woodwinds alike raised their instruments, drumline with their sticks at the ready. The drum major waited for moment, seeming to check everyone’s position, before raising his arms up. He began to tap one hand on an invisible surface with a tempo before raising them again and swinging both down hard.

One…

The white-gloved hands came up again a little before curving down, then curved in and swiped back down in the same spot.

Two, Three…

His hands swung outwards and away from each other before coming back up to the height above his head. Everyone sucked in a breath. 

Four!

Simultaneously everyone shifted and played, as if suddenly came to life, and everyone took a step on their toes right when his hands went down again. The color guard began a slow elegant dance on a line in the front. Low brass took to whole notes as the intro marimba solo in the pit section took place, most of the band on rest. Cloud counted the sets in his head as they began marching more complexly as sections split up and weaved into one another and shaped away, more of the band coming in on the build up as saxophones and trumpets began to play melodic hyping scales. At this point Cloud had to start rolling, the vibrations of the drum combined with the cymbal starting to crescendo sounding like a beat about to drop. He averted his gaze purposely as the line of snares began to weave through the bass and tenors, though it didn’t help much as they had to stop for a set while intermixed in line with another, and Cloud found himself right next to Zack. 

Yup, drumline is always stuck together. 

There was a drop in sound right as the notes had reached a climax, the void filled by the tenors and percussion in pit playing a cadence-like melody. Zack expertly did a sixteenth note rhythm in sync, his sticks hopping from drum to drum seamlessly and playing the loudest and most confident of the other tenors. Cloud pretended to miss the wink Zack threw when he slammed down the last beat as the entire band came in at once, playing the main melody dramatically as flags sprung to life and spun in the air. 

Show off.

As the winds stayed in their shape and pointed their horns side to side,even swooping down into lunges (who said marching band wasn’t a sport?) Cloud found himself unable to move yet and with the full attention of Zack as the snares had to start playing again and the tenors got a measure rest. 

Well, there was no hurt in playing along with his game.

Cloud looked Zack head on while performing the rolls and rim hits order perfectly without looking, taking the one beat rest to throw both sticks up. They spun in the air with a flourish before dropping into the blonde’s hands and making contact with the drum in unison to play to conclusive beat and step off. 

Cloud barely heard the low whistle Zack blew and was thankful that they had to now march in separate directions, unable to help the grin that spread it on his face. He would never admit it out loud, but he was proud of impressing Zack at his own game. The blonde became almost disappointed that the rest of the sets had them separated, but soon found his mind more preoccupied with remembering where he had to go. Zack was right, Cloud didn't think he'd ever learn so many sets in one day, an entire movement to be precise. As the end came closer, it became obvious that many of the students started hesitating in their step offs and Cloud even caught some going in the wrong direction before fixing it haphazardly. There was a nearly fatal collision between a trombone and a flute coming too close to each other, which seemed to be the breaking point for the director. 

From the height of the bleachers and with the aid of the megaphone, the older woman ordered everyone to stop. “Trumpets, you’re phasing too much with the wood winds, listen to percussion and WATCH your drum major! They keep the tempo for you! Reset and do it without playing! You better get the sets right before we go home today!”

Obiently, everyone rushed to the first set again, not wanting to run laps again for making the mistake of leisurely walking to their spots. Out of breathe, Cloud paused to lean over a bit, accidently catching Zack’s eye. The noirette shot him an encouraging smile and thumbs up, which the blonde responded with a playful eye roll and a returned thumbs up. He was tired, but at least if they got it right this time, they could go home. 

“I better hear everyone counting!” The assistant drum major called from the front of the field, putting his sousaphone over his head with ease that seemed almost unnatural. He was, bluntly, a very buff guy with rich skin, a combination that would’ve been nothing other than intimidating if it wasn’t for the moments Cloud would see him interact with the redhead drum major. Despite looking like complete opposites, they seemed to be very close friends and worked well together. In the beginning of practice, they had introduced themselves to the band and that was the first thing Cloud was able to pick up on. As if to prove his point, the redhead nodded from the podium in agreement and in sync with his friend.

“I’ll have a snare keep tempo, if you’re not counting louder than that, it’s going to be a longer night!” He announced, wordlessly he pointed towards the drum line, right in Cloud’s direction. The blonde flinched, and instantly prayed was just his perspective that made it look like he was being pointed at, but the eye contact they were sharing was undeniable. Well, shit. 

Cloud started tapping the snare in a perfect staccato, sighing with relief that he managed to not mess it up at all. The redhead slightly nodded his head to the beat, approving of the tempo (thank god), and began conducting to it. Fortunately, with everyone’s combined effort, they were plenty loud, and due to the late hour and the fewer mistakes, the run through was deemed satisfactory and they finally finished. 

The band director walked down from the stands and gave praise of a job well done, applauding the high attendance and progress on the first day of practice. 

"Everyone pick up all of your things and put your instrument away once we get to the band room! Watch your step because we're going to turn off the stadium lights in a bit!" She said, "Rest well and practice! We'll see you next week!"

There were cheers and hooting in reply, the group half hyped and half asleep. Cloud could only guess where he and Zack fell under.

"Yo! I didn’t know you could do tricks like that!" The noirette started, catching up to and nudging Cloud’s shoulder. “Were you in guard or something?”

Cloud nudged back and shook his head, laughing lightly, “Tifa was back in highschool. We’d mess around and try to do each others’ sets. But sticks are a lot easier than a flag. A lot less dangerous too.” He joked.

“Ayy, you gotta admit you were intimidated by my skills, though!” Zack pressed. He pointed to himself dramatically and puffed his chest. “I was the fastest tenor in the west back in my highschool. Bet I still am!” He quipped, taking on a country accent. 

“Sure, city boy.” Cloud rolled his eyes and jabbed him lightly, “You were the one that started it though.” 

“I was just doing my thing.” Zack said, winking and flashing grin.

Cloud gave him an unimpressed look as they made their way out of the field and onto the track, stopping to pick up their backpacks. He grabbed a water bottle and opened it, about to take a drink before freezing.

"Shit!"

Zack almost stumbled with how fast he stopped and turned. "What's wrong?"

"They're turning off the lights and it's completely dark outtt." Cloud whined, pointing to the sky as if it proved his point. The noirette regarded him questioningly before realizing what the problem was. As if perfectly timed, the stadium lights went out with a loud shutting noise, leaving the two Makoens to stare at each other. 

"Oh…" 

"Let's hurry to get inside the band room, it'll be lit in there." Cloud got Zack's arm and began walking faster, thankful for most students being too occupied walking in their groups to be noticing the obvious glow.

Being Makoen really sucked sometimes. 

"But I mean, is it really an issue that people can see?" Zack started, gesturing to his eyes. "Like it's not a big deal-" He cut himself off seeing the Cloud's glare and flinched when the blonde let go of his arm. Cloud sighed and slowed his pace.

"I just don't want to deal with it, okay?" He said slowly, his tone surprisingly apologetic as his expression softened. "I should have figured for you it must be a fun way of making friends or a party trick or something."

Zack considered his words for a moment before shaking his head and placing a hand on Cloud's shoulder. 

"Sometimes it's fun making people trip out, but I get what you mean." He comforted, smiling once the blonde turned to face him. "I hope you know though, your eyes are beautiful."

Cloud stared at him for a few seconds before his eyes widened as he processed what was said. He faced away and gave a choked a scoff, trying way too hard to hide the blush.

"You have the same eyes you know."

"I've seen mine in the mirror and they're not like yours!" Zack insisted.

"You're full of crap, Zack." Cloud breathed, finally able to look at him again.

"I'm serious! Yours are more…" He gestured vaguely as he struggled to find the word, "swirly." 

Cloud laughed, "Okay stop, you're being ridiculous."

"But hey! Now that I think of it, for some reason I feel like I've never really seen them at night before! But that's not true because the first day we met-"

"It was never fully dark before." Cloud stated. Zack’s expression remained, so the blonde elaborated. "When I first saw you, the room was barely dark enough to make them glow, but the curtains couldn't completely block the sunlight. And then when we went to Chocobo's noodles, the entire courtyard and pathway was lit by those string lights. Even at night when we go to bed, we've only talked or seen each other with at least one light on, and by the time they're off, our eyes are..." He laughed. "Well, kinda closed since we’re sleeping."

Zack took this all in, nodding after a moment. "Oh, I get it. I didn't even realize how good you've been avoiding going anywhere else at night." He joked, earning a light push in response.

"I just don't like  _ strangers _ ." Cloud corrected.

Zack smirked and opened his mouth like he was about to shoot back a retort when, suddenly, something ahead caught his eye and made him suck in a breathe. 

“Oh, you’re not going to like this.”

“Like what?” Cloud tried to follow his gaze, unable to see as far with his height. It didn’t take long though to see what Zack was talking about. The trail to the music building and band room of the campus was a short ten minute walk from the football field, and the students had flowed into a line of some sort; groups of people in front and behind them. The problem was that being towards the end of the line meant that the ones in front already made it to the room, and now there was a new stream of opposing traffic coming back out; coming straight towards them.

Cloud had been in similar scenarios before. Crossing a dark street on his first night in Midgar to get to his hotel, for instance, he had no choice but to pass people head on, but being in the middle of the road luckly proved to be a great deterrent for questions. Cloud already had a feeling that there would be no such luck this time.

He tried to keep his gaze down and slowly moved more to the side with Zack as the approaching groups came closer, but nearly jumped when there was a shout right next to him.

“Woah! What the fuck?!” 

A guy that Cloud hadn’t noticed before that was passing right beside him was now recoiling in shock and urgently patting his friend’s shoulder to get their attention. There were gasps as the shout got the attention of the other students getting closer, a girl holding her face in awe. “Their eyes-!” 

Most people seemed to have the courtesy to not react so unabashed beside staring, but many were foible with their attempts of subtlety with easily overheard questions and comments rising from the crowd. Cloud flinched as he became acutely aware of how the commaton grew and got the attention of more students, some stopping in their tracks and even the ones who were walking away turning around to see what was happening.

“Wow!”

“Am I seeing things?”

“Holy shit!”

“They’re glowing!”

“Is that normal?” 

“It’s not a big deal, we don’t mean to scare you guys!” Zack shouted above the merging group, putting on a cheery expression as if nothing was wrong and his hands up in casual surrender. Cloud on the other hand, was frozen. What should’ve been a simple double-take was now turning into a spectacle, the rukus causing a chain reaction of students stopping just to see what others were talking about and staying because no one else had kept walking yet. A worsening cycle that made Cloud feel like a trapped animal in the zoo. Zack’s message had just made them assume that he and Cloud were being open and approachable, some people coming closer and directly asking questions instead of the previous ‘keeping to themselves’. At this point they were almost right at the band room door, the spot becoming congested with onlookers and making the situation worse as the doorway became completely blocked. 

Cloud’s head swam as his ears picked up too many sentences to keep up with, everything barely audible as the noise piled up at once until a loud shout rang above it all.

“What is going on here?” 

The voice was laced with a hint of static and had a volume that could only belong to the use of megaphone, and the crowd began to part where a redhead was emerging from out of the band room. It was the drum major. He only had to look at Cloud and Zack once before yelling again. 

“They’re just Makoen, break it up!”

The silence that lasted for the split moment erupted as the reveal of Cloud and Zack being Makoen only brought more questions. It was effectively cut off with the high pitched ring of the megaphone.

“If you don’t know what that is, go home and look it up.” 

Before any students could react, another voice boomed as the assistant drum major emerged. “Move along! Move along!” He commanded, his height and presence effortlessly scattering the group. The area thinned and Cloud couldn’t help but sigh with relief. He felt the eyes of curious glances as the students moved on, but it was easily ignorable and nothing compared the the previous gawking.

The redhead shook his head and brought the megaphone down as he placed a hand on his hip. “Sorry about that.” He glanced back before giving Cloud and Zack an apologetic smile, “You’d think this was still highschool with how some of these people were reacting.” He closed the distance and reached out a hand. 

“I know I introduced myself as Nanaki earlier, but you guys can call me Red.”

Zack took his hand first as Cloud thanked his luck for not having to ask. He’d hate to have to admit he had already forgotten the leadership introduction from the beginning of practice.

“Hey, the name’s Zack! Nice to meet you Red! And lemme guess, you got that nickname because of your hair?” Zack asked, already making conversation.

“Yeah. There’s not a lot of gingers in Midgar.” He turned to Cloud to shake his hand. “And it seemed not a lot Makoens either.” He joked. “Oh, you’re that snare I chose to keep tempo! Thanks!”

“Oh, uh, of course!” Cloud stuttered, taking his hand. “I’m Cloud- But I mean, I should be the one thanking you, really. You saved us back there.” He gave a light laugh and shifted his weight to the other foot. Cloud noticed the assist drum major finishing his scattering further down the line and turned towards him once he got closer. “Thank you too, for all the help.”

The large man’s resting glare went unchanged, and for a second Cloud panicked, before the expression cracked into an almost uncharacteristic grin. “Just doing my job! It’s fun scaring a bunch of suckers!” He let out a bellowing laugh and pointed to himself. “The name’s Barrett!”

“Nice to meet you both.” Cloud replied, happy to know his drum majors were friendly. 

“It sucks you have to deal with all of that gawking. I swear some people have no fucking decency these days.”

“Barrett!” Red warned, but his tone was more unsurprised than upset. “We have a strict no cursing policy while representing the band, so just pretend you didn’t hear that from him.” 

“Of course.” Zack promised, barely repressing his laugh. 

“Strict policy my ass.” Barrett muttered with a smirk.

“You guys go ahead and put away your drums, lord knows they’re heavy. We’ll see you next practice.” Red said, choosing to ignore his friend. “Let us know if there’s any more trouble.” 

“Thanks!” Zack chirped, waving as they parted before making his way inside of the band room with Cloud.

“Well they were nice.” He said once they got out of earshot. By this point most of the students had finished and left, leaving the band room nearly empty. “Yeah they were.”

Cloud started to take off the harness and leaned over, putting his hands on his knees. A strained laugh left his throat. 

“What?” Zack turned, already putting away his tenor. 

“Oh god, that was awful.” Cloud admitted. 

“Are you okay?”

The blonde stood up and stretched. “I’m fine, I’ve just never had it so bad.” He rubbed his forehead exasperatedly before putting away his snare, Zack watching him closely. “What a day.” 

“Agreed.” Zack turned and stretched his upper body, popping his back with a satisfying crack. Cloud made his way back outside, the noirette following him, and started towards their dorm.

“But seriously, are you okay?”

Cloud looked at Zack and regarded him perplexedly. “I am, I’m fine, Zack. What’s got  _ you  _ so worked up?” He countered. 

“Well, nothing! I mean,” He scratched the back of his head. “Okay maybe I feel a little guilty…”

“Guilty? About what?”

“Honestly, I kinda thought you were overreacting. I mean, I didn’t think you were being dramatic or anything, but nothing like that has happened before and I thought-” Zack paused and took a breath. “I made you slow down and we couldn’t get to the band room in time before people started coming out, and then… Well,  _ that  _ happened.” He shook his head in disappointment and averted his gaze.

“Zack…” Cloud began, unsure of what to say. “It’s not your fault. Neither of us knew that’d get that bad… and I’ve dealt with it before, so there’s nothing to worry about. Besides,” He playfully bumped Zack’s shoulder. “It was nice not being alone in it for once.”

Cloud gave the most reassuring expression he could muster, his heart skipping when Zack returned the sweetest smile imaginable.

“Well, I’m glad it worked out.” Zack beamed. Cloud nodded, and tension he hadn’t realized he’d been holding on to released when they reached the brightly lit courtyard. 

“Wanna eat somewhere?” 

Zack started to nod before he froze, his entire face lighting up. “Oh! I just remembered!” He clapped once as if an idea suddenly struck him, and he turned towards Cloud ethusicatically. 

“Actually, there’s somewhere I’ve been wanting to show you.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shoot that was 10 pages! Spacing include, but still, I don't think I've done a chapter that long haha. Sorry for any grammar errors! I really suck at catching my mistakes until it's published and always forget to go back to fix it, I've noticed. Also yeesh I don't know why I felt the need to go full band nerd on this, never again (hopefully) xD Hope you enjoyed! We got more of the original gang together (yay)! It's been fun making ways they'll meet in this AU :) I wanted Zack to asked Cloud about Reno, because this was all in the same university day for them, but it was dragging longer than I expected it to so I decided to cut the chapter there. It'll come in the next chapter, though! Along with more Cloud and Zack progress since I don't plan to introduce more characters until later! ^^


	6. Ice Cream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "If you don't mind though, I'm going to keep knocking." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kinda a chill one, I hope it's still entertaining to read! Finally got around to setting up the situation that inspired me to write this in the first place huehuehue...

“You wanted to show me an ice cream shop?” 

“It’s not any ice cream shop! It's  _ rolled _ ice cream!” Zack insisted, continuing to pull Cloud inside. They were off campus together for the first time and the blonde was practically dragged into a taxi and 10 minutes deeper into the city of Midgar. The night was by now fully alive with twinkling stars against the dark canvas, full of soul and beauty. Cloud, on the other hand, wasn’t feeling it at the moment.

“Is that why you didn’t settle for the one that is  _ literally  _ on our campus?” 

The noireete pivoted. “Are you going to keep complaining?”

“Depends on how pointless this is.” Cloud smirked, enjoying the banter despite himself. 

“Is that a challenge?” Zack countered, stepping closer and closing the distance. The action caught the blonde completely off guard, visiblably taking him aback, but he kept the unwavering eye contact. They stared at one another for a moment before Cloud sucked in a breath. “What are you willing to bet?” 

The noirette’s gaze faltered as he cracked into a contagious grin. “I bet you’re going to love this.” 

“Or else?”

“Or else you’ll miss out, I guess.” He said, turning away and shrugging. Cloud stood alone for a second before following close behind. “That’s not how it works.” 

Zack ignored the blonde’s claim, taking him by the shoulders and plopping him into a seat at a corner table. “Stay here, I’ll go order it.” He instructed, 

"Wa-wait-"

He was dashing off before Cloud had a chance to protest, making it to the counter with ease. The blonde propped his head with his hand and sighed. The building was nearly empty besides a hard at work single employee, and it had a very clean atmosphere. Granite counters complimented the grey walls and the white cushions and high chairs appealed to the modern designer tables. It was small, but lavish in theme. Monochrome abstract paintings of the city was a nice touch.

Cloud watched the noirette as he spoke to the cashier, before averting his gaze and taking out his phone to distract himself. Surprisingly, he had a text from Tifa, a single photo with no caption. With nothing to expect, he opened it, meeting a poster in dark blues with a silhouette of a couple dancing. It had fancy swirls and the pair wore what looked like Victorian era clothing, the girl's dress heavy and frilly. 

Cloud's eyebrows scrunched in confusion as he read the accompanying text.

_ The Shinra Ball _

_ Come and join the classy event to celebrate the beginning of the academic semester and in honor of Midgar University's founder! _

_ Live orchestra, fine cuisine, ball theme dressing required. _

_ Tickets sold on the campus main office: _

_ Couples-$20 _

_ Singles-$15 _

'What is this?' Cloud replied, the text immediately marked as seen. It didn't take long for Tifa to respond. 'The university is hosting a ball, Cloud!' Another text appeared right after. 'We absolutely NEED to go!!!'

Cloud could practically hear her voice, chiming and enthusiasm like always when she got a chance to dress up or to party. 'And why is that?'

The texting bubbles flickered and stayed far longer than Cloud could deem comfortable, realizing what hell door he just opened for his friend. Knowing her, she had at least a million and one reasons, but thankfully, she decided to respond with a simple, 'Live a little pls' with an over dramatic crying emoji. Cloud bit his lip, unsure whether to bend or refuse. With regret, he realized that the barrage Tifa would usually use on him, that included insults, would've been easier to deal with. 

'We can talk about it later' was what he settled on, putting his phone face down just as Zack came into his peripheral vision.

"What was that about?" The noirette immediately asked, having noticed the phone. Cloud shook his head. "It was nothing. Just Tifa trying to get me to go to this frilly ball…" He trailed off as he was abruptly pulled. "Zack!"

"I want you to see them make your ice cream!"

Cloud scrunched his eyebrows. "Um? They just scoop it?"

"No, it's  _ rolled _ ." Zack repeated, taking Cloud to the front counter. The blonde opened his mouth to protest but stopped when he saw what was behind the country's glass.

The employee was pouring a liquid cream onto a freezing metal plate, spreading it out with an iron spatula. Cloud watched in awe as fruits were chopped and sauces were mixed into the cream seamlessly and froze instantly into a sheet. “Oh.” He breathed, not even minding the smug expression Zack had. The sheet was scraped by the spatual, and to Cloud’s surprise, didn’t break and instead formed a rolling spiral. About six were made from the plate and then were scooped into a cup.

“See, it’s not like normal ice cream.” Zack beamed, “I’m surprised you never had it before.”

Cloud finally tore his eyes away from the counter and shook his head. “No, I came from a small town. We didn’t have all of these fancy things.”

The noirette scoffed in disbelief, “This isn’t fancy-,” He got two cups handed to him by the cashier while keeping eye contact with Cloud. “Was your town really  _ that  _ small?”

“It wasn’t tiny, I mean we have the basic things, like a gym and movie theater.”

“That’s all?”

Cloud shrugged. “There was probably other things, but I never bothered looking.”

Zack’s expression of shock slowly cracked into a grin. “Then there’s so many things you could do here! I need to show you!”

Cloud bit his lip as he regarded the noirette, unable to shoot down the idea with the face he was making. He looked so excited and the blonde groaned as he realized there wasn't going to be a way out of this.

"So you're going to start dragging me everywhere?" He said dryly, already knowing the answer. Zack only grinned wider and nodded.

"Hell yeah!" He sat across from Cloud, setting one down in front of him and one for himself. "You need to live a bit."

Zack pointed at the blonde's cup with his spoon. "Starting with taking a bite of that."

Cloud was still swallowing down the cringe at hearing another version of Tifa's phrase. He slumped his shoulders in defeat but couldn't help but give a small smile, fond of both noirette's despite it.

"Okay." He conceded, taking a small bite. His face lit up as he took in the flavor. 

"Amazing, right!!!" Zack chimed before Cloud could even finish chewing. The blonde nodded. "Yeah!" 

Looking extremely satisfied, the noirette took a bite of his own, reflecting Cloud's expression. He closed his eyes in bliss and opened them hearing the blonde shift, making him pause. Cloud caught his eye and slightly tilted his head with a look of mirth.

"Thank you, Zack. This is great." 

The noirette faltered, caught off guard by the genuine statement. "Oh, uh. Of course. I mean-" He returned the smile and cleared his throat, gesturing with his spoon. “I figured we could celebrate getting through our first real day of university, so.” He shrugged, losing the right words again and continued to avoid looking Cloud in the eyes. “But, anyways-What was up about that whole dance thing?" He asked, effectively changing the subject. It didn't go unnoticed as Cloud paused for a second, considering to call him out on it before giving in. 

"Just this event the university's doing to celebrate the start of the new year, I guess." He started, showing him the poster Tifa sent on his phone. "She insists that we should all go, but… I dunno."

Zack took a moment to read it, handing the phone back as he finished. "Sounds fun. Why don't we?" he grinned. Cloud took another bite solemnly to avoid answering before shaking his head. "That kind of event isn't really my thing, Zack. I don't like parties."

"It's not a party, it's a ball."

"Same difference."

"Cloud." Zack gauged the blonde. "What's the real reason?"

"What do you mean, 'what's the real reason'?? I told you." He nibbled on the tip of the spoon stubbornly, "Can we not talk about that right now?"

"You're avoiding the problem~"

"Zack."

"Fine. Fine. But you better bet I'm teaming up with her." He pointed out, making Cloud sigh. "I should've seen that coming."

"You should've." He agreed, taking a long pause to eat more ice cream. 

Cloud took advantage of the silence to let the topic drop, idly scraping the edges of the inside of his cup with his spoon. He was already feeling the knot of dread accompanying the thought of being forced to go to a social event of that caliber, because he knew it was outright denial to think that Tifa would let him sit it out. And now Zack was going to get on his case too. Cloud hadn’t expected the noirette to prod at the subject so quickly, let alone prod at it at all. He felt bad about dismissing it so brashly, but it was better than going into the whole explanation and stumbling through communicating his strange thought process. The whole thing just had multiple layers of issues that only brought the blonde stress and anxiety. And when Cloud did try explaining why, he always felt dramatic and stupid, so he didn’t bother anymore. Besides, it was all in his head. There were very few times that the idea of socializing and partying got him just as well spirited and excited as the next person, but still most times it was more effort than it was worth. He just couldn’t get himself in the right headspace to enjoy those types of things no matter how hard he tried, and it was even more frustrating to know that he had been able to before.

“Hey, can I ask you something?” 

Cloud’s spirling thoughts came to a halt as his ears registered Zack’s question. He looked up to meet his eyes. “Hm?”

  
“What did Reno say to you?”

“Wha-?” It took a moment for Cloud’s outright confusion to become outright embarrassment as he recalled his memories from earlier that day. “Zack, nooo." He whined, the memory of their first class bringing a blush to his cheeks.

"You can't just have that reaction and expect me to not want to know!" 

"I don't want to talk about this either. Pass."

"You already used your pass for the dance." Zack accused, crossing his arms.

"That's not-" Cloud paused, sighing as he realized it'd be a waste of effort. He wasn't getting out of this. 

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" 

"Cloud."

"He's a pervert!" He exclaimed, acting of if the vague description would deter Zack. It didn't.

"If he's harassing you at all, then it's even more reason to say something!" Genuine concern flirted across the niorette's face, making Cloud's retort stop in its tracks.

"It's not anything serious to worry about though."

Zack leaned closer. "Then why can't you tell me?"

Cloud stared at him for a moment, the familiar sensation of surrender clutching his gut. "But it's embarrassing…" he whined. 

Also sensing the blonde close to giving in, Zack stayed silent, an eyebrow raised to push him to elaborate. 

Cloud huffed in half hearted annoyance and grabbed his phone, fingers moving rapidly over the screen as he typed something. Zack patiently watched. 

"Here." He mumbled, handing his phone over. Cloud looked away towards something on the floor, a blush coating his cheeks. Zack tried his best to not spring for it and took it slowly to hide how extremely intrigued he was.

_ "Next time don't have such cute face or I won't be able to stop wanting to fuck you." ... he said.  _

Zack wasn't able to process clearly for a minute. He felt his eyebrow twitch and his fingers curled into fist as the crude words sank in, anger seeping deeper as the idea that the sentence was said to Cloud fully hit him.

"The bastard!" He snarled. Cloud jumped a little in surprise. "Zack-"

"No!" He hit a fist on the table. "That's completely inappropriate and uncalled for!" His scowl changed almost instantly to an expression of worry. "He didn't keep saying those things to you the rest of class, did he?" Zack looked completely appalled and Cloud had to try his best to keep from denying it just to calm the nicorette down. Instead he raised his hands up defensively.

"Zack, it's okay…" The blonde tried slowly, proceeding despite his dark expression scaring him, "That was the worse so far, and you could tell he's all bark and no bite." He convinced.

Zack took a deep breath, recognizing his anger, but the expression that remained pressed Cloud to continue. "During the class he didn't even say much at all and mostly left me alone." With this, Cloud reached over to touch Zack's hand comfortingly. Immediately the fist uncurled. "Trust me, if I had even the slightest worry or unsafe feeling, I would report him."

Zack regarded him pensively. "Fucking better report that rat." 

Cloud flinched and practically recoiled at the venom in his words, but was instantly quelled when Zack reached back for his hand and softened his gaze.

"Sorry, sorry. He just pisses me off." Zack averted his gaze in slight embarrassment, but looked back at Cloud with determination.

"Just please tell me as soon as the pervert tries to pull something."

Cloud didn't know what to say for a second, surprised by the outburst but touched by how much Zack cared. "Of course." He promised.

"And remember," Zack added, "Verbal harassment is a thing too."

"I know." Cloud smiled in an attempt to lighten the mood and was partially successful when the noirette returned a weak one.

"Besides," the blonde started, "You can tell he's one of those guys who were total studs in high school and probably oblivious with how his words could hurt people because he's too busy being horny and thinking he's the shit that'll never be rejected because he's always gotten who he wants and therefore doesn't know how to actually make anyone fall for him besides the desperate people that think his 'pick up line' is something he hasn't said to dozens of people and who don't realize it's completely crude and will only result in a one night stand sort of 'relationship' which are only sought after by guys like him that won't go anywhere in life because they're too busy trying to fill some void of attention with meaningless sex." Cloud rushed out, irritated.

Zack stared dumbfounded. 

"What?" Cloud asked.

Unable to hold it any longer, the noirette laughed. "Oh gosh Cloud." He fell into another fit, playfully wiping away a tear from his eye. "That was some rant you had already prepared there." 

"I was just saying the facts!" Cloud pouted but couldn't help but smile after, glad to have made the other laughed. 

"Well, I'd like to hope he won't be a problem once you have a chance to tell him off like that." Zack joked. Cloud rolled his eyes fondly but shrugged. "I'm positive he'll give up and won't even talk to me after a  _ week _ . " 

"I hope so."

"Mmhm." Cloud took the last few bites of his ice cream happily relaxed. At least that was over with. Now it was just-

"I still think you should go to the ball though."

Cloud groaned exasperated. "You've questioned me enough for today."

"It wasn't a question." Zack raised his eyebrows. "It was a statement."

"A crappy and bossy one."

Zack laughed. "Moody Cloud is back."

The blonde looked at him with amused disbelief. "Only cause you keep knocking on his door."

"Maybe it's because I want him to come out."

Cloud scoffed. "And why would you want that?"

"Because I want to tell him that it's okay to let me in."

Cloud paused. Throughout their banter, Zack's tone suddenly turned serious. The blonde looked up to meet his gaze. The noirette stared back, his expression concerned.

"Zack," Cloud sighed. "Listen, it's nothing personal, I just… I don't really like having to explain or talk about it. It's not a big deal." He shrugged dismissively but slumped in relief when Zack sighed and didn't push it.

"Alright then…" he smiled at him, "If you don't mind though, I'm going to keep knocking." 

Cloud's heart swelled at the sweet statement. He couldn't himself to shoot the idea down, so instead he grinned back. "Okay."

The peaceful moment shattered when Cloud barely made a realization as he looked at their finished and empty ice cream cups on the table.

"Crap!" He face palmed. "You paid for me again!" He accused.

Zack didn't even try to hide his victorious smirk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm plotting something for the ball, mwahahaha. And yeah, Cloud is going to be totally forced to go.


	7. Groceries and Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I leave for five minutes and you manage to nearly die.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alllllrrrigghht! This fic was originally being posted on Fanfiction.net, but I wanted to add a platform to hopefully increase exposure. Up until now, the notes have just been the same that I had on the other site, but this is the first one I write on Ao3! ^^ This is also the last pre-written chapter, so from now on, updates will be slow. Buuuut! This is a suppperrrr long chapp! I hope you enjoy!

"You're completely wrong."

"You literally just called me perfect less than a minute ago."

"Because you are." Reno quipped. He pointed to Cloud's paper, still smug. "But here you're wrong."

The blonde checked the spot and caught the error instantly. "Oh, I forgot to bring down the squared variable. Dumb mistake." He shrugged, not too bothered.

"But you got a completely different answer."

"I just forgot to rewrite a tiny 2 on the corner!" 

Cloud chewed his lip and creased his eyebrows, annoyed to be proven wrong, especially from the likes of Reno. He glared at his work and he mentally reprimanded himself for making such a small but impactful mistake.

"You're cute when you get frustrated." Reno said dryly, smirking when Cloud redirected his glare to the redhead. "Shut up, we still got a page to do." He muttered, willing himself to give all of his attention to his work sheets. Reno clicked his tongue in disapproval. "Shame."

He turned to continue his own work all the same though. That was the fortunate thing about Reno, Cloud had come to realize. He was actually really capable in math, then again, the blonde should've expected at least that much from  _ anyone _ who made it into Midgar University. Surprisingly though, he was pretty good about doing his work. They even had a good team dynamic going on, as crazy as that sounded. It took only by the end of the week for them to both recognize each other's strengths and speed through any math or science equations together. Cloud was strong in word problems and technique, it was always clear what formulas and steps to use, while Reno was good with simplifying and getting consistently perfect math. When he didn't know how to start solving it, Cloud would, and when Cloud wasn't sure if he did it right, Reno would have the numbers. Even better, the redhead's 'flirting' had already gone down several notches. His statements had become much milder and public appropriate, but he would still take the opportunity to whisper something crass in the blonde's ear. 

As horrible as those phrases were, Cloud couldn't bring himself to be angry or take him seriously when his own blush in response would make Reno laugh like a little kid who just did a prank. It was easy to see he just saw it as dumb fun. Immature and distasteful, yes, but Cloud was grateful nonetheless. Like he predicted, the redhead fed off the reactions, and as soon as Cloud put more effort into reprimanding him and not reacting too much to the things he said, the prodding became less.

Less, granted, it didn't stop. So when the end of class rolled around, Cloud could only pretend to be surprised when Reno put a note into his hand that said ‘You have a nice ass <3’ before winking and trotting out of class. 

It was shoved in the trash shortly after.

“Hey,” Zack greeted, meeting Cloud halfway at the front of the lecture room. Though his happy grin quickly turned dead panned. “How bad was it?” 

Cloud shook his head unsure whether he should laugh or be touched by Zack’s concern of Reno, “It was fine, he’s gotten a lot more PG,” He insisted, leading them out of the building. “Besides, you can tell he doesn’t mean it seriously.”

“Are you sure?”

Zack’s expression was skeptical, and although he kept his tone nonchalant, there was something strangely dark underneath. When he first notticed it, Cloud’s initially thought is was protectiveness, but he quickly dismissed the idea because, well, that was dumb. There was no reason for the noirette to care more than the ‘there’s a creep hitting on his roomate’.

“I’m positive, there’s nothing to worry about.” He reassured anyway. 

Zack bit his lip in concern, and Cloud had to avert his gaze when he noticed him staring. “Anyway, my scholarships and financial aid finally got reimbursed today, so I finally have some cash to spend. I was thinking maybe we should buy some proper groceries for the dorm?” He offered, partially wanting to change the subject and partially in genuine request. Their dorm had come with the hotel-esqu coffee packets and a bowl of fruit, but that proved to run out almost instantly. Not to mention the blonde was positive he wouldn't make it any longer; he'd been running on  _ no _ coffee for three days now. Living off the extremes of too greasy fast food and too tiny cafe portions were beginning to upset his appetite. 

The offer proved more than getting Zack distracted, his mood completely clearing and lighting up. “Aw man, is my pancake batter and whipped cream not good enough for you?” He pouted, feigning hurt. Cloud half scoffed and snorted. “Absolutely not.”

“I hope you know I can’t cook anything else.”   
At this the blonde couldn’t help but laugh. “I thought you had been joking before?”

“I wish,” Zack shook his head, before cracking a grin, “Oh! You know what?”   
“Hm?”

“I’ve actually made spaghetti once!” 

Cloud raised an amused eyebrow. “Really? Wow, I’m impressed.”

“Yeah! From a can but still-”

“Spageti from a can?!” The blonde physically cringed and paused in utter disbelief. “I revoke my previous statement, that is  _ disgusting.” _

Despite it, he couldn’t help but try to hold in a laugh while Zack let out an exaggerated gasp of offense. “You know what?” Cloud started, effectively cutting the noirette off right when he opened his mouth to retort, “We’ll make some spaghetti tonight.  _ Real _ spaghetti, and I’ll show you how.”

“Oh wait, for reals?”

“Of course!” Cloud beamed, surprised himself to be genuinely excited for the endeavor. He was more of a ‘I’d-rather-do-this-the-right-way-myself-than-take-the-time-to-teach-someone-else-who’s-probably-going-to-mess-it-up’ type of guy, but Zack seemed to be an exception. He seemed to be an exception for a lot of things lately, that is, except for-

“So will you also go to the ball this weekend too?”

Cloud had to, once again, stop in his tracks. By this point, they had made the walk outside of the building and onto the busy pavement of the campus filled with countless passing students, so Zack took a bit longer to realize the blonde wasn’t at his side anymore. He looked back and was met with a glare.

“Cloud?”   
“No.”

He walked back the short distance and put a friendly hand on the blonde’s shoulder, wincing when it was roughly pushed off. Cloud started walking away briskly, as if trying to leave. Of course, he knew that wouldn’t happen; not with Zack. He was more persistent than Tifa, for God’s sake.

“Cloud!” he called again, easily catching up with him in a few strides. Curse his height. 

“But why not? I promise we’ll make it fun for you! I swear!” The blonde found it incredibly easy to pretend to be deaf suddenly. “Cloud, please!” Zack grabbed his shoulder again but spun him around, making him stop and have to face him. Cloud signed, resigned. 

“Can’t you see I am tired of having the same conversation?” He asked wearily. The whole group had been pestering him about the stupid dance for the past couple of weeks, and now that it was this weekend, Cloud should’ve been prepared for the last ditch efforts to begin. Whenever they would bring it up, he began to walk away from them as a joke, but at this point it felt completely justified. Too bad he felt too drained to seriously resist it. Afterall, once it passes, they’ll let the topic drop… hopefully.

Unfortunately, at the moment, Zack was currently far from giving up. “Listen, you don’t have to stay long at all, we just want you to be with us for it at least a while.” He pressed. Cloud nodded absently, beginning to figure that giving in at this point would be less taxing. How he ended up with such extroverted friends that could not even fathom the reason for  _ not _ wanting to go to a party, he did not know. Cloud held up a finger to Zack, letting out an exasperated breathe.

“Spaghetti first, ball later.”   
His eyes widened with the sign of consideration, “Okay, deal!” He chirped. Seemingly satisfied with the ‘compromise’, Zack smiled brightly, instantly mollified. Even though Cloud was completely fed up on the subject at this point, he couldn’t deny that seeing the other happy again made him feel better. Just a little.

“Let’s take a taxi?” Zack offered, thankfully willing for the subject to change. The blonde nodded, shoving his hands in his hoodie as a chilly breeze came through. The trees they passed were beginning to turn into shades of faint orange and yellow, but it was still pleasantly warm most of the time besides night, fall creeping into its peak.

The ride to the grocery market was longer than Cloud initially expected, and he wasn’t really sure where they were going since Zack picked the store. They took some turns into more secluded roads and ended up at a shopping center with an assortment of both local and chain businesses. Cloud peered out the window and could only make out a beauty salon and multiple restaurants before they were dropped off at the sidewalk that connected them all.

“This area of the city is where most of the factory workers live, so it’s not as crowded right now.” Zack mentioned, starting to walk past the other stores. 

“So you’re thoughtful enough to bring me to a store that isn’t packed with people, but not enough to stop bringing up the dance?” Cloud jested, unable to help the smile of appreciation anyway. “Ah, dammit it. You got me there.” He replied sarcastically, “But, you know, this is actually one of the most popular shopping centers. It’s jammed packed at night!”

“Then let’s get this done before then.” 

“Sounds like a plan.” He beamed. They found themselves walking through the automated doors and were greeted by some staff at registers. The store seemed mostly normal, and even kind of quaint with its dark wood textured signs with white cursive lettering and with its cream tiles. Like Zack had claimed, there were only a few patrons milling about, most of them parents with their kids or the elderly. Before Cloud had the chance to look around for too long, Zack began to walk towards the ice cream isle. He pulled on his arm. 

“Nope.” 

“Aw! C’mon!” The noirette whined, reaching out dramatically. “Let me get ice cream! I’ll use my own money!”

“Fruits and vegetables first.”

“And I thought moving out would let me be a free man.”

Cloud snorted, “Not if that ‘man’ acts like a child.”

“There is nothing childish about liking ice cream.” Zack insisted, jabbing at the blonde’s ribs, making him laugh. 

“Oh, are you ticklish there?”

“What? No, I-”

He poked him again, and Cloud turned away to forcefully cough into his hand. “Oh my god, you are!” He exclaimed, way too fricken happy about it. The blonde vigorously shook his head as he swatted away Zack’s third attack. “No, Zack, I’m not.” Cloud defended, his face getting hot. He looked away and moved to get a shopping cart, “And you need to let me concentrate on shopping.”

The noirette fondly rolled his eyes. “Borinnng,” he complained, yet obediently followed him down the aisle anyway. 

They went through the fruits and vegetables rather quickly, Cloud grabbing the basic amount of apples and oranges to snack on, and going back for some strawberries after Zack whined for an entire minute. Thankfully, they were both able to have no issues on agreeing that some standard salad items were a must, along with sandwich supplies and ramen noodles. 

"That should cover enough for now, let's just find the spaghetti ingredients." Cloud said once they finished getting some eggs and milk for breakfast, "I think we need to buy some pots and pans too."

“Alright,” he leaned closer, “And thennnn ice cream??”

Cloud pretended to scowl and made a big show of rolling his eyes, “Fine.” He groaned as if it was painful, but immediately broke into laughter as Zack rushed away. The blonde shook his head with amusement and continued on his scavenger hunt, getting some seasonings, ground beef, and the pasta, before reaching the aisle where the tomato sauce would be. He didn’t find the type or brand he liked and had to browse for a couple of minutes. When he found it, it was on the top row of the shelfs. 

Great.

Cloud bit his lip as he considered the height. It wasn’t too high up, but he would have to stand on the lower shelf for sure unless he wanted to risk the entire stack falling on him. Ugh. 

Looking around first to make sure no one was watching, Cloud stepped onto the ledge of the bottom shelf and reached up to securely grab two cans, having the grope around a bit because they were further back and he couldn’t see from his position. It was going well right up until he felt someone touch his shoulder. It completely startled him and Cloud yelped as he lost his footing, gravity getting the better of him.

“Woah there!” Zack exclaimed. Cloud felt the noirette catch him safely from behind as he stumbled backwards, his small back running into Zack’s broad chest. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you!” He gasped, the genuine concern only furthering the embarrassment Cloud felt growing in his stomach. “Ah, no. It’s my bad. I was being dumb.” He breathed, still reeling from the shock. He glanced down at the sauce cans he somehow managed to bring safely down with partial relief and regret. So it least it wasn’t a complete failure.

“You should’ve just asked me to get that for you!” Zack admonished, “I’m taller than you, remember?”

“Yeah, yeah. I know-” Cloud froze as he looked up at Zack, suddenly hyper aware of how damn  _ close _ he was. The noirette was holding onto both of his arms protectively, like a hug from behind, but he practically pressed up against him and his head was right above Cloud’s. The blonde would only had to tiptoe for their noses to touch. 

“Uh- I-” he stuttered, mind going blank. For some reason his heart decided to start hyperventilating and Cloud took too long to notice that he was staring for too long. “Nevermind.” He rushed, ducking under and out of Zack’s hold to escape. He huffed with forced annoyance and dropped the cans in the the cart with exaggerated finality. “Forget about it, I’m fine.”

Zack regarded the quick withdrawal with a raised eyebrow before his expression turned smug.

“I leave for five minutes and you manage to nearly die.” 

“That’s an exaggeration.”

“Clearly.”

Cloud pivoted to fix a playful glare on the noirette and tried to look accusing. “You were the one that made me fall though.”

“Oh? You fell for me already?” 

“Wha-” If Cloud’s face was already hot, it was on fire now. For a second an unwanted thought came to his mind, but the blonde quickly shot it down and had to remind himself to not take it seriously. He got his expression under control and shot Zack a sideways glance. “Sure, as if that’s going to happen.”

“As if anyone can resist my charms.” The noirette teased back. Cloud scoffed, doing his best to brush it off. He decided to change the subject. “So what ice cream did you get anyway? I hope you got vanilla.”

Zack took the change of subject easily, and Cloud felt tension in his shoulders he hadn’t even known was there begin to dissipate. “You’re gonna love this! So I got chocolate, sherbert, and cookies and cream!”

“Ah, I haven’t had sherbet in a while.”

Zack’s beam somehow managed to get brighter. “We’ll have some tonight too then!” 

Cloud smiled and nodded, reaching the check out and grateful for the lack of line. Zack helped him put the items onto the conveyor belt and then put the bags back into the cart while Cloud took the bill. 

“Are you sure you want to pay for all of it yourself? We can go halfies.” Zack offered, but Cloud instantly shot it down. “This is me repaying you for all the times you bought me lunch.” He pointed out. 

Zack was quiet for a moment, beaten, before quirking up again. “Wait a sec! That’s way more than you owe me, though!” Cloud put a hand in front of his mouth to shush him, already expecting the resistance. “Then consider part of it future payment. You can keep buying me lunch.” 

“So I can keep taking you out?”

“That’s not what I-” Cloud sighed in resignation and muttered a curse under his breath. He needed to make a mental note to watch his phrasing around Zack. The cashier, a young woman, visibly stuttered from overhearing that, and couldn’t look Cloud in the eyes when she handed him his receipt. “Uh, thanks.” he replied awkwardly when receiving the receipt, all while Zack was standing there so friken smug. 

Great.

“Do you intend to get everyone around you embarrassed?” He accused, once they got outside. Zack shrugged nonchalantly. “Mainly you. You blush a lot when you get flustered.”

Cloud wanted to throw himself onto the floor. How could he just say things like that? And to another guy, too? 

“Look, if you don’t stop doing that I’m going to ignore you.” Cloud threatened. If there was one defense against any extrovert, it was choosing to not socialize with them. Sure enough, Zack made a show of looking offended from the idea, before returning to his teasing expression. 

“And what is it that I’m doing  _ exactly _ , Cloud?” 

Zack paused to make eye-contact, and there was something searching in his gaze that seemed too intense. Cloud felt himself freeze as the question fully processed. What was Zack doing? Well, that’s obvious, he’s… well...flirting?

Cloud felt the thought unfurl inside his mind and he quickly squashed it. No, he couldn’t be. If that was the case that’d make him either a real jerk (just like Reno) or someone who has genuine interests in other guys, and the blonde really did not want to consider what either options meant. 

“Forget it, nothing.” He settled, offering a shrug of his own. Zack seemed a bit taken aback by the dismissal. Strangely, Cloud could swear he saw disappointment flash across his features. So he was asking the question seriously? What did he want to hear? 

Cloud tried to find the answer by shooting a questioning gaze, but the noirette looked away before he could see it. The blonde opened his mouth, but Zack was already calling a taxi before he could try to ask. That was for sure avoidance. Cloud felt himself tense with worry from his behavior.

“Zack-”   
“Oh, here comes a taxi!” He exclaimed, grabbing the blonde’s arm to drag him inside. Even though he was still ignoring the blonde’s confusion, his usual cheery disposition was enough for Cloud to to drop it. He must’ve just been over analyzing Zack’s reaction. Cloud wanted to smack his head for overthinking it; it was probably nothing.

Right.

It’s nothing.

Cloud watched the buildings whiz by on their way home with dismal. Now that he started to think about it, Zack had begun to act a bit different ever since classes started. He just couldn’t pin-point exactly how, but somehow the question Zack asked before leaving the store seemed to be connected. Unable to make anything of it, Cloud decided to take out his phone and open up his memos to make a note of it. He typed the date and ‘ **Zack was flirting today?** ’ underneath. He didn't get it. Heck, he didn't want to even think about it, but if he wanted the slimmest chance to figure it out later on, making a note of it was the best thing he could do at the moment.

“What’s that?”

Cloud yelped and nearly jumped out of his seat. Zack was leaning over from the seat next to him and was peering over at his phone with interest, which quickly turned into confusion due to the blonde’s reaction. “Don’t scare me like that!” He gasped, quickly turning off his phone and shoving it under his leg. Panic gripped at his senses as he realized he’d been caught. Had he seen what he wrote? Cloud began to mentally pray.

“What…” Zack began slowly, as if hesitating, “what were you looking at?” 

“Nothing-” Cloud’s shoulders slumped and he forced out a small laugh. He hadn’t seen it, thank God! “It was nothing, just this dumb diary sort or thing I keep on memos.” 

“But what did it say?”

Cloud scoffed and playfully swatted him away when he continued to lean over. “That’s none of your business.”

Zack only raised his eyebrows, “I saw my name on it, though.”

_ Shit. _

The blonde laughed again. “You must’ve read wrong.” The noirette’s expression was still rather confused as he considered that, so relief flooded through Cloud’s mind since as it seemed he didn’t read anything else. Also he was believing him. 

“Oh, alright then.” He conceded it, tone conveying he was still slightly suspicious. That was fine. He could be as suspicious as he wants, Cloud was just glad that he didn’t see it all. He smiled innocently at Zack. “Oh look! We’re here!”

The noirette opened his mouth to retort but paused as the taxi skidded to a halt. Cloud hopped out before the other could say anything and he went around to the back. Luckily, light shopping for two meant that there weren’t too many bags, and that both of them could make it to their dorm in one trip. Zack finally got out after a few minutes, probably was making small talk with the driver while paying him (he was so social for no reason), and began to help Cloud with the rest of the groceries. He groaned as he had to lean on his elbow to close the trunk, hands full.

“Ughhh, shopping tired me out.” He whined. The blonde shot him an incredulous glance. “Shopping got  _ you _ tired? I was doing most of it.”   
“Nuh uh! I had to follow you around and you took forever to find things!”

Cloud feigned offensive. “Well excuse me, but I’ve never been in a store that’s so big it has  _ three _ aisles of nothing but bread.”

Zack scoffed, “Ha, country boy.”

“Ugh, city boy.” 

Cloud playfully rolled his eyes and shoved his shoulder into Zack’s, who nudged him back. They kept doing that, progressively pushing harder until they were almost falling over and were laughing. They had to stop when they got into the dorm lobby, their flushed faces and panting already drawing a lot of attention from other students who lounging around the room. Cloud stooped over and huffed. “I hate elevators, but I don’t think I’d want to take the stairs right either.”

Zack scoffed and was already pushing the elevator call button. “Yeah, good. ‘Cause I was  _ not _ going to let you make me climb the stairs.”

"Fair enough.” Cloud shrugged, laughing when the noirette rushed inside as if expecting the blonde to change his mind if he wasn’t fast enough. Good for him, because as soon as Cloud stepped inside, he was having regrets. Sure enough, the ride was nauseating for him, but it wasn’t as bad as he expected. Maybe he could get used to elevators...or not. Had they been a single story higher, he wasn’t sure if he’d been able to not gag. 

“You okay? You’re looking a little pale their buddy.” Zack asked, looking over his shoulder as they walked onto their floor. “Fine. Just don’t like elevators.” He rasped. His arms were tired from carrying almost ten bags in each hand and the relief from reaching their front door shortly was immeasurable. 

“Do you need some water?”

“That’ll probably help.” Cloud reached a hand into his pocket to get the key, before fumbling and dropping it. “Damn it.” 

The blonde bent down to get it, Zack was faster and got before him. Cloud tried to hide his embarrassment. 

“Thanks,” He opened the door and swung it open. “We really should invest in a car. I don’t think I can walk this far carrying groceries again.”

Zack raised his eyebrows and followed him inside and began to put the bags on the kitchen table. “Really? Not many people in Midgar own cars. They don’t really need to, actually.”

“Cause everything is that close together?”

He laughed and shook his head. “Nah, this city is huge! The public transportation is just  _ that _ good.” 

Cloud scoffed. “You sound like you’re bragging.”

“Have you ever ridden a train here, though? The entire track is a couple of stories above the ground, so the view is beautiful!”

“What do you think?” He asked, shooting Zack a deadpanned look. 

“You haven’t done anything fun.”

“Hey!” Cloud made a face. “That’s not true! I just don’t need to live somewhere with flashy lights to have a good time.”

“First not liking parties and now this.”

“I  _ prefer _ it this way.” Cloud corrected. 

“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that.”

“Go ahead.” He childishly stuck out his tongue before turning around to start putting some of the groceries away. It wasn’t until now that Cloud realized how depressingly empty their cabinets were. The bare counters and empty refrigerator only added to the lonely effect, so he was glad to start piling some food inside. Zack stood uselessly to the side.

“Uhm, should I start dinner… or something?”

Cloud didn’t bother to look over his shoulder, too preoccupied with organizing the pantry. “Yeah, yeah. Just grab that pot and fill it about three-fourths up with water and set it to boil.” He gestured toward the stove dismissively. In the back of his mind he registered Zack shuffling hesitantly around the kitchen, before he decided to glance over his shoulder right when there was a loud clatter. 

“What are you doing?”

Zack froze while in the midst of clumsily filling a pan with water.

“This isn’t a pot, is it?”

Cloud tried to muffle with laugh with his fist, but it was too obvious. “No, that’s definitely not.”

He walked over and took it from his hands, twisting it to drain the water. “What tipped you off?”

“It’s looks too small for spaghetti.” Zack nodded solemnly, caught in his failure.

Cloud couldn’t help but laugh again. He patted the noirette’s shoulder in a small attempt in consolement, but it didn’t seem to do much.

“I’m sorry. I should’ve warned you how incompetant I am when it comes to this kind of stuff.” He admitted, giving a small forced laugh. Cloud felt his expression soften. “Don’t worry about it. Look.” He grabbed the pot and handed it to Zack. “ _ This _ is a pot.”

“Ohh.” Zack mouthed. “To my defense, I could’ve guessed this one was the pot had I seen it.” 

“I’m sure.” Cloud nodded, a grin still plastered. He waited as Zack filled it and put it on the stove, turning it on the highest setting.

“So now we wait, right?”

“Mhm.” 

Zack scoffed and put his hands on his hips. “See? I’m not completely helpless.”

“Yeah, well just wait until we  _ actually _ start cooking.” 

The look of utter horror Zack made in realization had Cloud nearly in another laughing fit. "If it makes you feel any better, the only reason I know how to do anything is because Tifa made me learn." He chuckled, his laughter dying down but his mood still humored.

"So you guys have been friends forever, right?" Zack asked, perking up in interest. He took a seat from their kitchen table and sat on it backward to face Cloud, stradling it. 

The blonde shrugged. "Not forever  _ exactly… _ .." He started, drawing out the word. "We were neighbors since we were little, yeah, but we didn't become friends until we were in middle school." He crossed his arms and leaned his back on the counter, looking up as he tried to recall the memories. "I think we were both too awkward and shy to really talk to one another, but we'd sometimes play together with the other kids from our town. Always in a group though."

"Wait wait wait." Zack propped his chin with a hand. "Okay, I can believe  _ you _ being awkward and shy, but Tifa?"

Cloud made a face at the near-insult, but elaborated anyway. "She's really out-going for sure, don't get me wrong, but trust me. She's shy. Especially when we were younger. Her and I… we were kind of social outcasts from our town once we all got older. Tifa was teased by the other girls because she took fighting lessons from this master that lived nearby, and I begun to get shunned just because I didn't talk to them. I don't think I would've gotten along with any of the boys there anyway." He shrugged. "There weren't many kids, but the few that were there were into the wrong sort of things. No one took school seriously, and the ones who did were taken out by high school to work with their parents in the mines. The only difference between us and them, was that Tifa's dad died in a cave-in before that could happen to her, and I never had one to begin with. My mother took her in when it happened. Tifa’s mom was alive, but her husband’s death left her in a really bad state. I think we were about 10 then, and that was when we actually got close.

"My mom is an extremely intelligent woman. In fact, she went to Midgar University and got a doctor's degree in medicine, like, I’m not kidding when I say she could’ve been changing the world right now. She grew up on an estate on the outskirts of the city, and practically had it all. But then, she fell in love with my dad, who was a poor miner in Nibleheim, and they got a house together. He disappeared after I was born, and since then I think she regretted it. She pushed Tifa and I to value our education and to go to college, and if it wasn't for that, I'd have no idea what I would be doing now." Cloud gave out a strangled laugh and shook his head. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to get so serious. Anyway, it was through those years that Tifa forced me to learn to cook and all sorts of other things that I used to think was a waste of time. I’m glad she did though, I was obviously a dumb kid.”

“I don’t think that’s true.” Zack frowned. “And I’m sorry about your dad and Tifa’s parents… I had no idea.” 

“Oh, no, don’t worry about it.” Cloud gestured dismissively and meekly smiled. “All of that was a long time ago… Besides, we were okay because we had each other.” He stood from leaning on the counter and went to grab a cup. Even though he turned his back to Zack, he could practically feel the noirette’s eyes boring into him as he filled a glass of water. Knowing him, he was probably feeling way too concerned than he really ought to be. Cloud felt that small coil of guilt in his stomach squeeze at the thought, and couldn’t help but question himself for saying so much. 

For so long, he had gone through life conditioning himself to not open up because it only brought a mess; it ruined things. He had almost had another friend in Nibelheim besides Tifa, once upon a time, but the boy had ran off because of it. To this day, Cloud cannot fathom why, but is unbelievably grateful, Tifa has stayed beside him all this time. He knew his small town might not have been the best example to base all people off of, but the blonde felt almost obligated to follow through. But damn it, if Zack wasn’t so easy-going and genuine! It was almost stupidly easy to start rambling, and Cloud hated it. Even if he was a friend, the blonde didn’t like the idea of making someone else worry or care so dang much. Was it okay to trust the literal first person he formally met in Midgar, the largest city on the planet, before he even had a solid grasp on the ‘real world’? He was barely out of his hole of a hometown and was already losing the constant walls he’d been building up. Was that a good thing? Has Tifa been able to do the same thing? It had just been the two of them for so long, but now she has Aerith. Not to mention a whole arsenal of new friends he’d already heard about from her classes. Away from the limits and repressions of Nibelheim, she was thriving, and he was certain she was doing a  _ much _ better job letting herself be open and getting to know people. 

Cloud took a contemplative sip of water and made sure to school his expression before he turned to face Zack. Sure enough, he was unabashedly looking at the blonde with a stare that was way too kind and concerned to be legal. “Uhm,” Cloud almost coughed, but luckily was able to instead ask a question that had been on his mind for a while. “So what about you and Aerith? Have you two known each other for a long time?”

Zack didn’t answer right away. He seemed conflicted about whether asking his own questions or letting the subject move on. With reluctance, he chose the latter. “Not as long as you and Tifa for sure.” He leaned back on the chair but kept his hands on the top rail, effectively balancing the chair as he teetered on its back legs. Cloud pretended to ignore his own urge to warn Zack to not fall. “I was born in a small town too, actually, but I didn’t grow up there. My parents just sent me off to boarding school here in Midgar, so I never really saw them, and now I consider this city my home. I had this rebellious phase though,” Zack laughed and leaned forward again (much to Cloud’s relief), crossing his arms on the rail. “So I used to sneak out of campus at night all the time, and one time when I was climbing roofs, I fell through one. It was an old abandoned church that was falling apart, and when I woke up, a girl was leaning over me. That’s how I met Aerith!” 

Cloud laughed and absently rubbed his temple. “I’m not even going to question you climbing roofs. How was Aerith there though?” Zack grinned. “She was a weird kid.”

“I’m telling her you said that!”

“Go ahead! It was the first thing I told her!”   
“You’re lying.” Cloud deadpanned. Zack dramatically clutched his heart, “Oh, how you doubt me!” He laughed, “But you’re right. The first thing I actually did was ask her if she was an angel.” “Oh my god.”

“It’s true!”

“Of course it is,” Cloud rolled his eyes. “Even back then you had to be charming.” He complained.

“Oooh,” Zack’s smile went smug, “You think I’m charming?”

Cloud opted to suddenly take a long drink. 

“Go on.” He pressed after a moment, choosing to ignore the question. Zack thankfully went along. “Well, like I said, she wasn’t like any other girl I’d met before-”

“Not sure how that translates directly to ‘weird’, but okay.”

Zack laughed. “Potato potatoe.”

“Sure.”

It was the noirette’s turn to dramatically roll his eyes. “Anyway, she was growing flowers there. Aerith didn’t give a damn that she was trespassing on private property, because I’m pretty sure that run down church was going to be demolished for a hotel, and it was like her secret spot. Turns out she went to the all-girls boarding school near mine, and since the church was a mid-way point, we started to meet there every night. I mean, she was always there anyway growing her flowers, and I kind of just starting popping in until it was routine.

“We got super close. Especially after we both ended up transferring to the same private highschool. She was super cool, I mean, still is, and she was president of our class and everything. Crazy sweet, too. My grades weren’t doing so good, because I was being lazy and unmotivated, but she didn’t give up on me. She tutored me with all of my homework, made me lunches, and basically did anything and everything to show that she supported me. Aerith was basically the only reason I graduated and pushed myself to go to university.”

Zack’s tone as he spoke was getting progressively more adoring, and Cloud felt his smile fall. It was obvious he loved her. And that he still did.

“We dated the last two years of highschool, and even though we’re still not together, I’m happy to tell you that we’re still best friends.” He beamed, but it was too tight, too forced. Seeing it made Cloud suddenly felt solemn, and he didn’t know why, nor liked it. “Why did-” The blonde stopped himself, hesitating. 

“What?”

Cloud felt a lump in his throat. He couldn’t do it. “Nothing, nevermind.”

“Why we broke up? Is that what you were about to ask?” Zack guessed, making the blonde flinch. Cloud opened his mouth to deny it, but stopped and decided against it. He put his cup down on the counter a sighed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know if that was a sore spot or not.” He looked him in the eye. “Am I that easy to read?”

Zack chuckled, his ease relaxing Cloud a little bit. “No, you’re kinda poker face a lot. Especially in public. I just figured out that you’re more expressive when you’re worrying about something and in general when you’re  _ not _ in public.” He mused

“Oh, you have me all figured out.” Cloud jested.

“Not yet. Working on it though.”

“What is that supposed to mean?-”

“Anyway,” Zack drawled, getting up from his seat. “To answer the question you didn’t want to ask…” Cloud was effectively silenced as curiosity got the better of him. “It’s something that’s actually pretty embarrassing… Ugh, I was so stupid-” He rubbed the back of his neck as walked to stand by the bar counter, opposite from the blonde’s position. Cloud vaguely noticed, but didn’t question, the change of proximity. “See, Aerith was the one that broke it off. But-” His lips twitched as if he couldn’t decide whether to laugh or grimace. “Only because I was the one too pathetic to do it myself.” Sensing Cloud’s confusion, Zack elaborated. 

“I love her, don’t get me wrong, but I realized way too fucken late that I didn’t love her in the way she loved me.’ Cloud raised his eyebrows at hearing the cuss. He’d heard Zack cuss before, but only sparsely on things he’s passionate about. The blonde felt his eyebrows crease; he must really regret it then. Zack sighed lightly and continued, but his tone seemed deceptively too light. 

“I thought I did, because I adored her, almost idolized her. But that was the fatal difference. I’ve had crushes before. I knew what the butterflies felt like, what the day-dreaming that ensued felt like, the whole cloud nine spiel. Embarrassment and nervousness was there, for sure, but not those things. The crush I thought I had was more like a celebrity crush. The type that you can only reason with superficial things like, “She’s smart”, “She’s pretty”. The type that cannot transcend that, because it’s a ‘like’ that is more in love with the idea, the fantasy, than the reality. It didn’t help that I was actually in love with her, but just in another way. I never had my parents around, so I didn’t know what it was like to be coddled and spoiled and fussed over. That changed when I met Aerith, and feeling that for the time made me think that I loved her romantically. I just didn’t know the difference.

“I realized it when we started dating. I was happy for a long time because I got to always be by her side, but it was later on the line that I noticed that things were off. Holding hands and hugging was fine, mostly. I mean it made me happy, even though I never got the butterflies and crap. But when we kissed for the first time… It was that instant.” 

Zack scoffed. “I know that sounds cheesy, and it is, but it’s true too. I realized that I had been avoiding it the entire time we were dating- I mean what couple do you know of takes almost  _ two _ goddamn years to kiss for the first time?- and then when it was about to happen, I wanted to run away. Not the “I’m so nervous” type of run away, but the “I don’t think this is right” run away, which didn’t make sense because she was my  _ girlfriend, _ for crying out loud. That sort of stuff is what we were supposed to do! And then,” Zack paused and frowned, obviously still feeling conflicted. His tone was getting heavier now. 

“...when it actually happened, I didn’t feel anything. I couldn’t even pretend and close my eyes, because the whole thing just had me feeling so confused. But the worst part was how I hurt her, because-” 

Cloud felt frozen, not knowing how to react to the anguish on his face. He wanted to console him, tell him he didn’t have to finish, anything to make that look go away. But the noirette’s eyes were staring off as he was reliving those memories. He was somewhere else, far away, and, like that, Cloud couldn’t dare bring himself to touch him, to interrupt. He was not a part of those memories. 

“Because- No, I mean ...I mean, I needed time to figure out what I was really feeling, but in that process I closed off to her. I started avoiding her and even ignoring her at some points. When she’d ask what was wrong, I’d lie it was nothing and that things were fine. I needlessly strained our relationship and I made her cry a lot… She thought it her fault, but it was all mine. Even when I realized it was because I loved her like a sister, or even a mother, I didn’t have the guts to cut it off. Of course, she figured it out before long. If I hadn’t closed myself off to her and had been honest, she’d probably would have figured it out before me, even. Aerith was always the smarter one…” Zack smiled, but it was sad, before it fell again into a frown. “But I didn’t do that. I led her on and stressed her out over it for months. And then, when it came down to it, she was the one who did it. Despite how cold I had became towards her, Aerith didn’t stop caring about me and, like always, protected me from the things I didn’t want to face. She broke it off… she broke it off  _ for _ me. And then I had the audacity to start crying, and even then, she held me and assured me it was fine. Even though she was the one that was getting hurt the whole time.”

Zack shook his head and rubbed his temple for a moment, before looking up to the blonde. He forced a meek laugh and shook his head again. “I’m such an idiot, aren’t I? I hate myself for doing that.”

Cloud flinched.

_ I hate myself _

That phrase, despite the forced joking tone, made the blonde feel something deep stir in his chest. Zack was clearing hurting, yet here he was smiling. He clearly didn’t want to add weight to the words, but Cloud could  _ feel _ it anyway. He meant it.

“No-” Cloud started without thinking, not sure where he was going but continuing anyway. “I mean, I don’t think that’s true.” He said, echoing Zack’s reply to his own anecdote. “The idiot part.” Cloud clarified, ducking his head.

Zack gave him a thin smile, clearing just amusing his consolement, but not believing it.

“Um,” Cloud mentally smacked himself. Crap. He was no good at comforting others, yet he somehow found his mouth still moving anyway. He felt this compulsive need to at least  _ try _ . 

“I think the fact that you guys are still good friends should show you that she forgives you for everything that happened, you know? Like, it sounds like you still beat yourself up over it, but there’s no real reason to. You’ve obviously learned from it, which is what counts, and you suffered from it too. I mean, Aerith hasn’t done anything that says otherwise, right?”

To Cloud’s surprise, Zack was actually listening and thinking about what he was saying, his lips slightly pursed. “I haven’t thought of it that way… and yeah, she started dating this college freshmen over summer break after we graduated.”

Cloud breathed out all the tension he’d felt, now relieved. “Oh, that’s great-”

“Aw shit! I haven’t asked her whether they were still together. What was his name? Alex? Aster?” Zack’s eyebrows were creased, but in light confusion rather than pain. Cloud smiled. He didn’t know how the man did it, but the noirette was almost scaringly good at bouncing back up from anything serious or sad. His words were still slower than usual, but they weren’t heavy either. Nonetheless, the blonde was immensely grateful.

“You don’t know him well?” 

Zack scoffed. “Naw, he went to some college that  _ wasn’t _ Midgar. I’d assumed Aerith would go there, which is why I was surprised when I saw her here.”

Cloud lightly laughed. “Do you care for anything that doesn’t involve Midgar? You didn’t learn the name?”

“No… to both questions…” He laughed, but it was sheepish. “Hey, in my defense, I grew up here my entire life.” 

“Is it because of that, or because you never took geography?”

Zack suddenly flinched and looked and his agape. 

“What??”

“How did you know?”

“Know what?” Cloud gasped. “You actually didn’t take geography??”

“No, I did but…” Zack looked away, embarrassed. “It was my worst subject ever. In my life. The class  _ literally _ traumatized me.”

Cloud stared at him indubiously, before he held a hand up to his mouth and began to laugh.

“It’s not funny!”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. But it kinda is.” 

Zack groaned and covered his face, clearly suffering from enough embarrassment for one day.

“Aw, I’m sorry. It’s okay, no worries.” Cloud grinned. He reassuringly pat the back of his shoulder, only having to lean forward since Zack was right across from him. 

“Will food help?”   
“Oh god, yes.”

Cloud couldn’t help but laugh a bit again as he walked away to get a pan and ingredients. 

“Okay!” He chirped, placing the pan on the stove next to the pot; the water was definitely at a boil now. Cloud didn’t know where this enthusiasm was coming from, but part of him felt like it was to combat the prior solemn mood that engulfed the kitchen. He hoped that it didn’t come off as apathetic, but luckily Zack seemed to take the mood change in stride.

“This is ground beef. I need you to put it in this pan and continually stir it with this.” Cloud handed Zack a plastic spatula from the cheap cooking utensil set they bought. It was an amateur product, but it’ll do. The noirette took the it and nodded. “Yes, chef!”

“Okay, no.”

“Aw, please!”

Cloud rolled his eyes. “No.” He repeated. The blonde had to pretend that the way Zack over-dramatically glared at him while he poured the ground beef  _ wasn't _ funny. “Anyway, for the spaghetti, all you literally have to do is put it in the water.” Cloud took a handful of noodles from the box, demonstrating. “About this much is a serving for four.” He put slid it in the pot.

“Four?”

“For second helpings.”   
“Ohh, smart.” 

“More of a precaution, knowing you.”

Zack grinned. “What are you trying to say?”

Cloud shrugged as he watched the noirette cook, checking the fire was on the right setting and that the beef was properly being stirred. It wasn't too complicated, and Zack thankfully seemed to learn fast. “I’m only saying what’s true.” He commented.

“Fair point.” Zack conceded, doing a good job breaking apart the previously frozen chunk of ground beef. It was browning rather quickly, and he made sure to mix it to make the raw sides cook evenly. Cloud let him concentrate, moving to grab the tomato cans he almost died for and beginning to open them with a can opener. 

“Let me know when all the meat is browned.” He said over his shoulder. It didn’t take long for the spaghetti to turn soft and bend in the water, and Cloud absently stirred it once with tongs and salted the water.

“Hey, is this ready?”

“Lemme see.” Cloud took his place by Zack and looked over his shoulder. “Yeah! Okay here, do the fun part.”

Zack perked up before the blonde even handed him the can. “Pour the tomato sauce on it.”   
“Nice!”

Cloud fondly rolled his eyes. He was being sarcastic when he said ‘fun’, but Zack seemed to think otherwise, enjoying the act of cascading the sauce unnecessarily from two feet high over the pan. The noirette swiped a finger to taste it before scrunching his nose. “It’s all cold now!”

Cloud swatted his hand before he could get another taste. “Yeah, because you barely added the sauce. Now you wait for  _ that _ to warm up.” 

“Pssh.” Zack flicked his finger to rid the remaining sauce, and Cloud cringed as he was suddenly assaulted with cold sauce splattering on his nose.

“Crap! I didn’t mean for that to happen! I’m so sorry!” He rushed, realizing in horror what he just did. Cloud blinked, his hands still up by his head in his failed reflex to cover face. Despite the initial concern, Zack’s expression quickly shifted into one of humor.

“You think this is funny?” Cloud asked, his tone flat. Zack froze.

“No..?” 

With a straight expression, the blonde brushed his finger in the pan and, with cold sauce, deliberately dragged his finger down on the bridge of the noirette nose. Zack had scrunched up his face on the contact as if he was anticipating a slap, rather than cold tomato sauce, and opened his eyes with surprise when he realized what actually happened. 

“Wha?-”

No longer able to pretend to be serious, Cloud broke out in laughter. “Ha! Now we’re even!”

“Did you really just-” Zack paused as the blonde smeared the rest of sauce left on his finger across his cheek, grinning. “Oh.” His shock dissipated as he broke into a malicious smirk. “You really wanna be like that?”

“What’re you gonna do?”

“This.” Zack had already dipped all of his fingers while Cloud wasn’t looking, and now streaked it down the side of his face. The blonde gasped as if scandalized. Zack laughed. 

“You look ridiculous.”

“Okay then.” He retorted, swiping his hand without even looking. Zack tried to retreat, but his back ran into the counter and he was caught, Cloud successfully smudging his entire cheek and chin and was laughing victoriously. “Now who looks ridiculous?”

The noirette grinned and grabbed the spatula, dipping the entire utensil in the pan. “I have a weapon, and I am not afraid to use it.” 

“Zack.” Cloud warned, grin gone. “You’ll get the kitchen dirty.” 

“So?”

“You won’t do it.”

There was a brief silent as they gauged one another, unmoving, and then Zack struck. He jerked the spatula, effectively splattering the radius that included Cloud’s face and the counter behind him.

“Zack!”

The noirette just laughed, clutching his stomach. He was laughing so hard that he didn’t notice Cloud take the can of extra tomato sauce. With a cold blow to his chest, Zack spluttered in surprise and looked down to see that the blonde poured half the can right down his shirt. His shock once again immediately gave way to amusement. 

“I’ve been shot!” He clutched his heart dramatically and put his other arm to his forehead. Cloud, who had been competitively focused on accomplishing his revenge, couldn’t help but break into laughter. 

He didn't know what had gotten into him, but he was feeling so great acting like a kid that he couldn't really reason against it. It just felt so natural and easy, and for a split moment, Cloud wished he could freeze time and capture this moment: them laughing together, tomato sauce on their faces, a dirty kitchen, yet not a care in the world. He didn’t know that it was possible to feel so  _ light _ . The moment didn’t last though, as all things end. Despite it, the blonde still had that giddy feeling.

“Oh god…” He took a moment to stop laughing catch his breath. “Okay, we need to actually stop now.”

“Aww, do we really?”

“For the spaghetti!” Cloud gestured towards the stove, and Zack found it  _ very _ hard to argue with that logic. “And,” The blonde reached up to rub a strand of hair with two fingers, “We already both need showers.” 

“Nah, I just need to change my shirt.”

“I’m going to hit you.”

“Sure, go ahead.”

“I thought we established that we both follow through with our threats.”

“That'd be assault.” 

Cloud guffawed and got a roll of paper towels, tearing some for himself before throwing it at Zack. “Yeah, yeah. Clean your face, it’s distracting me.”

“I feel like my face has that effect on you a lot.”

“Oh, shat up.” Cloud groused. He ducked his head in the towels and wiped his face, hoping he hid his face before Zack could notice the blush. “You’re cleaning the counter, by the way.” He pointed out.

The noirette groaned in complaint as he lifted his chin to clean the sauce that got on his neck and finished cleaning his face.

“I guess that’s fair.”

“You guess?”

“You have some sauce still.” He commented, pointing to his own forehead as reference.

“Well of course I do. You splattered half the damn can!”

“And you poured half on my shirt.” He chuckled. “Here.” 

With a single step, Zack was suddenly in Cloud’s personal space, and he lifted a hand to push the blonde’s bangs back. Gently, he cleaned off the sauce under his hairline, and Cloud found himself completely frozen. His ears and neck was on fire, but Zack didn’t seem to notice.

“Look to the side.”

For some god-forsaken reason, Cloud did as he was told, but instantly winced and brought up his shoulder to his cheek as Zack wiped some from behind his ear.

“Ooh! Another ticklish spot!”

“What- No, I-”

The noirette evilly let go of the towel and lightly grazed the same spot with his fingers, despite Cloud’s shoulder defense. He flinched again and whimpered.

“Did you just mewl?”

The blonde smacked his arm away and recoiled, now covering his whole ear with his hand. “Everyone is sensitive there!” He defended, face red.

“You sounded like a kitty!”

Cloud groaned and resisted the urge to hide his face in his hands. “I’m going to take a quick shower.” He declared, marching out of the kitchen. He could practically feel Zack’s dawning panic, so he gave way to mercy and stuck his head out from the hallway.

“The ground beef is ready once it’s warm again, just add the seasonings I left on the counter over there,” Cloud pointed, “And make sure to turn off the stove. The spaghetti is ready too, you just need to drain out the water. The strainer is already in the sink. Once that’s done, you can start serving it if you want.  _ That _ I know you can do on your own.”

Zack made a face and opened his mouth, but before he could ask the question, Cloud darted into the bedroom. Feeling merciful, yes, but forgiving, no. Besides, he could figure the rest out, it wasn’t that hard. 

The blonde purposefully avoided looking in the mirror as he walked into the bathroom and made quick work of properly washing his hair. He found himself slightly surprised he wasn't that mad about it, and even more surprised when the sauce thankfully did not stick to his locks. He changed into comfortable fall pjs, which were really just a hoodie and sweatpants, and grabbed a towel on his way out to keep on his neck, letting his hair air dry. Cloud hadn’t taken that long, fifteen minutes at most, but was (once again) surprised, for he arrived to a cleaned kitchen, a set table with served spaghetti, and to Zack with a clean shirt.

“Tada!” The noirette extravagantly gesured, looking proud of himself.

“Oh.” Cloud said, not bothering to hide is pleasant surprise. 

He took a seat and smiled. “Wow Zack, I’m actually impressed.”

“Really? ‘Cause I was trying to impress you.” Zack admitted, taking his seat across from the blonde. “But, er- I wasn’t sure how much seasoning to use, so I kinda just guessed.”

Cloud raised his eyebrows and vaguely considered whether he made the wrong choice by leaving Zack alone for that part, only if for for his own sake. The last thing he wanted to do was have to forgo perfectly good spaghetti just because it was unbearably salty. He looked over the bowel, contemplating. 

“I mean, it  _ looks _ fine.” 

Cloud took a fork and got a small bite’s worth of noodles and beef to taste, trying to ignore the way Zack was staring at him like a hopeful puppy. It wasn’t overly seasoned, thankfully, and was actually not bad. 

“It’s good.” He nodded.

“Really? I couldn't tell."

Cloud made a face, “What do you mean?”

“Well, I tried it and liked it, but I wasn’t sure if that’s how it was supposed to taste. And if you would like it.” 

Zack was twiddling with his fingers, and for the first time since he’d met him, Cloud saw how unsure he actually was. There was no charm or confidence here, and although those were qualities he liked a lot about the noirette (maybe a bit too much), seeing a different side was nice.

“I’m glad you’re not perfect.”

Zack looked at Cloud, his expression flickering before resting on a confused frown.

“It’s a good thing.” He added, sensing the noirette’s distress.

“Oh.” Zack visibly relaxed, and vaguely Cloud questioned why he seemed to care so much. “It is? Okay, cool.” He beamed and lifted a fork to dig in the meal. 

“Wait,” Zack paused and put the fork down. “What do you mean?”

At that, Cloud was mid-bite and had to try not to make his embarrassment obvious as he had to finish chewing his food while Zack stared at him.

“Uh, well- you know. You’re so confident and charming all the time, and I just- I dunno, it’s just nice to know that you’re not always perfect. I guess.” Cloud shrugged and looked at his spaghetti. To his surprise, Zack didn’t make some tease comment like the last time he had called him charming, and was wearing a pensive look. It was silent for a moment. 

“Is this your way of nicely telling me the spaghetti was actually bad?”

“What? No, no.” Cloud laughed. 

Zack was smiling too though and raised his eyebrows. “Sure.”

“Are you fishing for another complement or something? I already said that it was good!”

“Well I’ll say! You haven’t even finished the bowel and you have tomato sauce on your face again.”

Cloud froze, a blush burning his cheeks. “Where?” He desperately felt around his mouth and face. Zack laughed. “Just kidding! I’d knew you’d get flustered over it.”

The blonde deadpanned. It was clear that insecure puppy Zack was gone and that he was once again back in his joking and teasing ways, confidence and all.

“I hate you.”   
“I’m going to take that as a grain of salt.”

“You cook  _ once _ and now you think you’re an expert.” Cloud rolled his eyes. “You have not earned idiom privileges.”

“That’s a thing?”

“Now it is. If not, you’d abuse the system.”

Zack made a face, lost, and seeing it made the blonde begin to laugh softly. It had been a long, but good, day, and Cloud felt his lips quirk up in fondness as he wondered what it’d be like to keep having days like these. Careless, fun, and warm days with Zack, doing simple things like walking to class, shopping for groceries, and just staying home and eating with one another. Just the thought made Cloud smile and look forward to the shenanigans that, with no doubt, would ensue. The noirette must be a bad influence or something. 

“We’re idiots.”

Zack laughed and didn’t bother to disagree with the declaration. “Is that a bad thing?”

Cloud met his gaze and grinned. “No.” He rested his cheek on a propped arm, beyond content.

“It’s the best.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter in a nutshell:
> 
> Zack: Cloud
> 
> Cloud: No
> 
> Zack: Yes
> 
> Cloud: NO
> 
> Also, thank you for reading to the end! I wanted to get the foundation for the Ball/Dance arch in this chapter, but it was already getting way too long, haha. Even though this is kinda just simple living and relationship and backstory development, I hope you enjoyed it anyway! Preview for next chapter includes Uni drama and Cloud having to go to the dance "undercover", also that aforementioned sherbet ice cream ^^ I'm so excited to finally get to that part, because the idea is what literally made me start writing this fanfic in the first place. I can't make promises, but I will now try to not take another near-half a year *coughoopsimsosorrycough* to update chapters, and will aim to upload a chapter at least once a month! Hopefully more! I still have a lot of ideas for things to happen after, and I hope I can get to it! See you next time and thanks again!


	8. Favor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You'd make such a pretty girl!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SchnappiWappi pointed out to me that ‘noirette’ and ‘blonde’ are femenine, so from now on Zack and Cloud will be described as the masculine ‘noiret’ and ‘blond’! (Thank you again! ^^) I wasn’t aware of this but don’t really have the time to go through the older chapters to fix it, so my apologies! Anyway, here’s the next chapter! I hope you enjoy!

_ The Day Before.... _

Cloud was worried.

Tifa's smile was frozen as she was watching the floor, as if a pained grimace would immediately take its place if it fell. Cloud watched her as they walked together and noticed the way she held both hands behind her while taking slow, long strides. She was trying to hide something. 

"What’s wrong?” He asked out right. 

Her shoulders visibly tensed but she just laughed. “What? I’m not allowed to just want to have a walk with my best friend?”

“You’re acting different than the last time we walked, though.”

It had been TIfa’s idea to have walks together, just the two of them, at least once a week so that they could still catch up and spend time together one on one. And it was a great idea because neither were used to seeing one another so little after living together for years, but it was barely a second time out and Tifa already was forcing a smile. 

“What’s wrong?” He repeated.

She sighed, and already Cloud could tell she was giving in. That was the difference between them. They shared their desire to not burden their friends, but unlike Cloud’s stubborn dismal and excuse, Tifa would actually open it. He felt like a hypocrite for appreciating her for it, but did so anyway as she took another breath.

“It’s this girl…” She started.

“Oh, no. Wait don’t tell me-” Cloud felt his eyes widen in concern. Deja Vu hit him like a train as he now remembered why Tifa’s expression had felt vaguely familiar. It was the same expression she wore back in Nibelheim when she had admitted that the other girls teased her, when she’d keep walking as cruel names were shouted in her direction, when she’d ignore the writing on her desk and keep diligently writing her school notes. It was deeply pained and held those flits of insecurity that had plagued Tifa since she was a kid, but the expression had longed began to vanish around highschool. When Midgar University had given her hope, when Cloud and her where the closest they’d ever been, when half of their awful peers had dropped-out, when the remaining bullies instead put their efforts into ditching class and doing drugs. 

When she had finally been left alone.

Cloud was absolutely appalled to see that look once again on her face, to know that she still has to deal with the bull shit she worked so hard to leave. “Who is she?” 

Tifa raised her eyebrows in surprise before realizing Cloud had caught on. “Oh, wait no.” She laughed meekly and waved her hand dismissively. “It’s not like that. Well, not exactly…”

Cloud waited for her to continue, the sound of their foot falls crunching down on leaves filling the silence.

“She’s not directly bothering me, it’s just I heard something and I- I don’t know. I guess I’m letting it get to me?”

“What happened?”

They kept walking for a moment as she took a moment to think of what to say. “Okay, so you know the Midgar Elites, right?”

Cloud nodded. Him and Zack had been told by Nanaki and Barrett one time after band practice. The Midgar Elites were the seniors at the top of their respective fields, and because it was an official group sponsored by the University, these students had a lot of voice and influence. They had the permission to hold student meetings, make University announcements, and even host parties when they labeled it as a ‘college culture’ event, and it was all paid for by the school. No doubt they were also the most popular and idolized students, and also the most entitled and snobbish. Ugh.

“Well, I somehow got on the nerves of one, apparently.” She played with a strand of hair and kept looking on the floor. 

“Well, what did you do?”

“I don’t even know! That’s the thing!” Tifa threw her arms in the air, her previous quiet and thoughtful demeanor gone. She huffed. “I don’t even know her! And I don’t even have a class with her because, duh, she’s a senior and I’m a freshman! Like, it really doesn’t make sense to me. But  _ apparently _ she’s been going around telling people she doesn’t like me.”

“What?”

“I know, right!? Like, she doesn’t even know me!” Tifa groaned and pulled down at her face. “Can we take a break on that bench?”

“Sure.” 

Cloud watched her as she sat down, deflated, and took a seat next to her. Her frustration was already drained, and she slouched to rest her head on her hands.

“I get it if someone doesn’t like me.” She started, her voice suddenly softer. “I’m plenty used to it, even.” 

Cloud felt his heart clench and his own expression softened. 

“And as much as I love making so many friends here, I understand I’ll eventually have someone that doesn’t like me. It’s inevitable, really. It’s just-” She put her head down, head in her hands. “I don’t even know what I did. And out of all people, it has to be the goddamn elite in my field, and it’s only the beginning of the year! And it’s… it’s so stupid… I know it is, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t care what its making people think of me.” 

“Tifa…” Cloud gently pushed her long hair to the side and rubbed her back soothingly. “It’s not stupid.” He assured. “Of course it’s normal to care, she’s practically gossiping about you! Like you said, it’s for no apparent reason, and that’s complete bullshit. What is she accomplishing by dragging your name like that? What a b-”

Tifa laughed. “Cloud.” she warned. Sure enough, she sensed his on coming rant, in which he usually out-right insults the culprit mercilessly. Frankly, Cloud thought they, who ever was hurting his friend, deserved it. Most of the time he was right.

“But, wait.” He paused, “Who is this again? Like what’s her name?”

Tifa blinked and sat up, a finger to her chin. “Sarah? Wait no...” She scrunched her nose. “I think it was… Scarlet? It was Scarlet!”

Cloud scrunched his eyebrows as he thought. “I haven’t heard of her.”

Tifa snorted. “Neither have I, until today.” She stretched her arms above her head and sighed. “Thanks though, Cloud. I already feel a lot better. I think I just needed to vent it out.”

Cloud nodded and smiled, but it was strained. “Is there anything else I can do though? Anything at all?”

Even though Tifa seemed a lot better already, like she said, Cloud was still honestly a bit unsettled. Everything was going so well, and the last thing he wanted was for some overly-powered elite to negatively affect her life in university. This was supposed to be when they  _ didn’t _ have to deal with people like that anymore, and the whole thing just felt so unfair. Tifa was the sweetest and kindest girl he knew. It was no mystery she already has many friends among her peers and even among seniors, really. But to already have an enemy? Bull shit. She didn’t deserve that, and if there was one thing Cloud knew, it was that he’d do anything to help. He was determined to  _ do _ something about it.

Tifa hummed in contemplation to his question, effectively bringing him out of his thoughts. 

“Hmm, I don’t really think so.”

“You wouldn’t want me to try talking to her? I could probably get Zack to do it, he’s more charming.”

Tifa made a sound that was similar to choking before turning to Cloud. “He’s charming, you say?”

“Oh-” Cloud flinched and tried to not choke himself. “That’s not what I- I just mean that he’s better with people. With  _ girls _ .”

Tifa regarded him skeptically before breaking into a smile, one of those that were all knowing and could see right through anyone. To Cloud’s appreciation, she moved on anyway. He let out a breath.

“I mean... the problem with trying to talk to her though is that you’d have to be really inconspicuous about it. Waiting for her after class is too obvious, and I have no doubt she has a flock following at her heels twenty-four seven. And running into her on campus is too unlikely...” She sighed, bummed out again. “Look, Aerith already tried, and Scarlet ignored her because she knew she was friends with me. I don’t want to put you through that too. Besides, all I’d want to ask is  _ why _ , but that probably won’t change anything, so-” Tifa shrugged, her shoulders taut as her arms gripped the bottom edges of the bench besides her. “It’s not worth it, really.”

Cloud nudged her with his leg, unconvinced. 

“If it’ll make  _ you _ feel better, than damn nearly everything is worth it. You know I’d do anything for you Tifa. We’re in this together, remember? So,” Cloud beamed, “Let’s keep thinking.”

She smiled gently, touched, and scruffed the side of his head with endearment. “Okay, I’ll try.” She stood up. “Let’s continue our walk then, I think it’s better for brainstorming.” She grabbed his hands and hefted him up, now determined. “Now that I think about it, I don’t think she knows that you’re my friend.”

“So she won’t ignore me.” He boosted, feeling better himself now that he’s being allowed to help. 

“But I still don’t know where you could talk to her.”

“A social gathering probably.” Cloud offhandedly commented, shoving his hands in his hoodie as they began to walk again. Tifa gasped and her eyes widened in excitement. 

“That’s it!”

“What?”

Cloud watched as her expression grew into a mischievous grin, the glint in her eye intense. He felt his blood run cold as he realized what he suggested, and dread as he connected the dots to what he accidently implied. 

“You know where she’ll definitely be?”

“Tifa, no.” He admonished.

“The Shinra Ball!” She practically squealed, bouncing up and down. “Oh, Cloud!” she cooed, wrapping him in a hug. “Thank you! This is perfect! This is like killing two birds with one stone but even better! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

Cloud felt himself stumble with the sudden weight but quickly caught his balance, smiling meekly and partially returning the hug, mostly still in shock. Like the idiot he was, he somehow managed to dig his own grave. The worst part was that, like this, is was impossible to say no. Impossible to take it back now. He was genuinely surprised that Tifa was so happy about the development, and he began to feel guilt coil up in his stomach at the thought. He hadn’t realized how much she was holding back, how much going to this dance actually meant to her. 

She let go of him and stepped back. “Oh, I can’t wait to-” The light in her eyes completely extinguished as she caught herself. “Oh…” 

Cloud tensed, also just realizing that he was still grimacing in guilt. He mentally cursed himself, the disappointment fleeting across Tifa’s features crushing his own heart with each second. “Tifa-”   
“No, I’m sorry. I got excited for nothing. We can’t do that.” She mumbled, crossing her arms. Cloud’s panic and concern melted into confusion. “Wh-what? What do you mean?”

Tifa shook her head and sighed. “I just remembered that Scarlet would ignore you too. She completely despises men. Like,  _ loathes _ them. Pretty sure she’s a misandrist.” She scoffed, but it sounded forced. “She’d only talk to a girl, but Aerith was the only friend I felt close enough to ask, and obviously that option is already thrown out the window.”

Cloud let out a breathe he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. Though, he wasn’t quite sure whether this was a good or bad thing. 

“I guess you going to the dance is out the window too.”

“I guess.” He breathes.

Before he even had a chance to process the quick change of events, and blaring notification tone made him flinch. 

“Oh, I think I got a text-” Tifa said, shooting Cloud an apologetic expression before taking out her phone from her handbag. She only had to glance at it before putting it back. “Sorry Cloud, I’m late for a study group with some friends. I need to go this way.” 

She pointed over to the opposite direction they had been heading. “We’ll talk more later, okay?”

“Yeah-”   
“Bye!” She waved. She had a bounce to her step as she jogged off, suddenly peppy again, and Cloud didn’t know whether to feel relieved or regretful. He dodged a bullet with Scarlet not talking to men, because now he didn’t have to go to the ball, but now he had no way to help Tifa. Both thoughts left him feeling bad, but there was nothing to do as he watched her disappear behind a corner. 

“Bye.” He whispered.

_ Present..... _

“Five scoops, or six?” 

“Woah, woah. Why so much?”

“Because,” Zack pressed, putting another scoop of ice cream in the bowel anyway, “We’re sharing a bowel.”

Cloud shot him a questioning look as he continued washing the plates in the sink; Spaghetti did not dry pretty, and he intended to scrub it off before it had the chance.

“I’m saving dishes.” He pointed out. “You’re welcome.” 

“Oh how kind of you.” Cloud scoffed, turning back around.

He quickly finished up the chore and left the plates to dry on the rack, wiping his hands with a towel. There was a pleasant hum in his stomach from having a proper homemade meal, so he couldn’t help but be in a good mood and laugh when Zack fumbled and dropped a spoon. 

“Now we only have one spoon.” He whined.

“Just rinse it.” 

Zack made a show of pouting before he picked it up and walked over to the sink, now next to Cloud. “Or, we could also share a spoon.” He said, his voice lower and his eyebrow cocked. Unlike his usual response, the blond just laughed again and shoved him playfully. 

“Stop being lazy, Zack.”

He walked out of the kitchen before the noiret could say anything else, and contently parked himself on the couch. It was a simple grey loveseat that had already come with darker grey pillows, its light wood legs matching the small light wood coffee table in the middle. As expected of such a wealthy private university, Midgar also provided a simple matching entertainment center and a standard television on top with free cable. Cloud only managed to flip through a few channels before Zack was joining him. 

“What are we watching?” He asked, moving a pillow to make room for himself. Cloud tried to not notice the way the couch shifted as Zack sat down, the added weight and small seat making them both slightly sink together in the middle. Their legs and shoulders were touching.

“I don’t know yet.”

“Maybe we can find a movie.”

“What channel do you think would have one right now?” 

Cloud continued to stare at the t.v. with forced concentration as Zack went ahead and balanced the bowel between their legs, his arm slinging over the blonde’s thigh to hold both sides while setting it down. He felt the noirette shrug.

"We didn't have cable in boarding school. I wouldn't know." He said, already getting a spoonful of sherbet.

“You’re so helpful.”

Either because he had a mouth-full of ice cream or because he didn’t care, the noiret chose not to reply and just leaned back on the couch, getting comfortable. 

Neither of them had really used their dorm’s living room up until now, usually opting to just hang out in their joined rooms instead, so it was a strange and almost exciting feeling to be doing so now. Before, they both had only needed to use the desks for some before-class chapter readings, and otherwise spent most of their time sitting on their own beds across from each other. That is, if Cloud wasn’t being dragged outside to ‘explore the campus’ by the eager noiret. It was kind of strange though, as, despite being there a few weeks now, it was barely sinking in that this was now his home. The shower already had a line of toiletries on the ledge and the bar stool in the kitchen was already being piled by textbooks. Their desks were both strewn with papers and their closets had stacks of clothes they hadn’t gotten around to hanging, a dirty pile accumulating in propped-open suitcases. There was still a small pile of boxes by the entrance, sure, but the dorm was already feeling a lot less sterile and empty than it did from the first day Cloud saw it. The home-y feel was only accented by the way Zack propped his feet on the coffee table while Cloud hugging one of the pillows, the atmosphere cozy.

It was nice, and the blond would be lying to himself it he said he wanted it to end.

Then the phone rang.

It wasn’t shrill, rather a melodic beat ringtone, but it was still with dismay that Cloud realized it was  _ his _ phone. He glanced at it prepared to hang up on a scammer, or unknown number, and was surprised when it instead had Tifa’s tag. 

“Hello?” He answered, not knowing what to expect.

_ “Cloud!” _

“Is something wrong?”

An excited laugh sang from the speaker. 

_ “No, silly! But guess what?-” _ _   
_ “What is it?” He asked, vaguely noticing that Zack stole the remote and was looking through channels himself.

_ “Actually, wait no-” _

Another giggle. Cloud had to remind himself that Tifa wouldn’t see it if he shot the phone with an incredulous look. 

“Are you… are you okay?”

_ “Yeah, yeah!” _ She laughed again. _ “It’s just- It’s a surprise, okay! So you have to come over right now and then I’ll tell you!” _

“Now?”

Cloud craned his neck to look at a clock on the wall.

“It’s almost nine.”   
_ “It’s fine! Curfew isn’t until ten-thirty.” _

“Tifa, what is this about-?”

_ “See you in five, Cloud! Bye!” _

His mouth was agape as the dial tone rang. She hung up.

“Seem pretty serious.” Zack commented sarcastically, having obviously overhead. He stood from the couch anyway and shot the blond a grin. “I couldn’t find a movie anyway, so I’m going to go with you.” 

Cloud just sighed and scratched his head. “I have no idea what’s happening, so sure, go ahead. I don’t care.”

He got his keys from the counter, along with some slides in his room, and opened the door, looking back to make sure the lights and T.V. were off. Zack was ready to go as well, contently eating another spoonful of ice cream.   
“You’re taking that?”

Zack raised an eyebrow. “Why wouldn’t I?”

He hugged the bowel possessively and Cloud just shook his head and tried to not obviously smile. Zack must’ve noticed anyway, though, because he looked absolutely preened as he passed through the doorway and into the hall. 

It wasn’t a long walk to get to Tifa’s dorm. The only issue was that it was on the first floor, so, once again, Cloud was subjected to an elevator ride. They would’ve taken the stairs had it not been for the ice cream, or ‘precious cargo’ as Zack put it. Nevertheless, when they arrived at her door, Cloud only found it in himself to be curious and confused.

He only had to knock once before the door swung open.

“Hi!” Tifa beamed. Her eyes went over Cloud’s shoulder. “Oh good, you brought Zack! I forgot to tell you, but we need his help too.” She stepped aside to let them in.

“Help? For what?”

“You guys can go ahead and sit there” She said, ignoring the blond’s question. Becoming even more apprehensive, Cloud hesitantly took a seat where she directed; a living room couch.

It wasn’t like theirs though. In fact, despite all dorms having the same layout, Tifa’s looked like a completely different space. It had a long brown couch with a matching recliner in the corner, and there was a soft cream rug that matched pretty pillows. Aerith stepped out from what must be their room, and added a small flower to the collection of potted plants on a nearby shelf. Seeing the girls together reminded him that this wasn’t just Tifa’s dorm, but  _ their _ dorm. 

The cozy and elegant decor also made a lot more sense, and seeing it made his own dorm he shared with Zack go to shame. They had already probably gotten rid of all of the pre-provided furniture, and now everything was in creams and honeys. It felt so much warmer than the muted greys of the default furnishings, and it smelled like a sweet, but subtle, perfume from all of the flowers inside. Aerith carefully plucked at a leaf as if removing dust, slow and gentle, before turning to smile at the boys. 

“Hello.”

“Hi, Aerith.” Zack easily replied, but he seemed to be distracted by some painting on a nearby wall. It was understandable, but Cloud couldn’t help but regard the interaction in a new light after knowing what happened. He wondered how Zack was feeling now, since he had re-lived those moments while telling Cloud about their past relationship mere hours before. Aerith seemed relaxed though, and she took a seat on the further end of the couch, next to the blond.

"Are you in on this?" He accused. Aerith just covered her mouth and giggled.

“Perhaps…” She conceded. Before Cloud had the chance to question her further, Tifa took center stage in the room and clapped her hands. “Okay!”

She took an eager seat on the coffee table to continue holding the three’s undivided attention. 

“Welcome to ‘Operation Scarlet’!” She announced.

Cloud felt his spine chill and sat of straighter, tense.”Wait, is this what I think this is?” 

“Oh, yes!”

“Oh god.”

He already had a finger massaging the side of his temple. Cloud had expected Tifa to come up with another idea of how to question Scarlet, but this was too soon. Even more frightening, was the fact that it was still  _ before _ the ball, and, knowing Tifa, she probably somehow managed to incorporate Cloud attending. He thought he had lucked out when they realized it wouldn’t work and when she had appeared to drop it. Now, not so much.

“But- I mean, this doesn’t have to do with the dance, right?” He tried. Tifa’s grin grew wider and he felt his stomach squeeze with nausea. Of course she managed to make it work.

“I’m confused.” Zack piqued.

“Oh, I’ll catch you up!” Tifa offered, twisting herself a bit to face him alone. “Okay, so you know the Midgar Elites, right? Good. So I managed to get on the bad side on Scarlet, the elite in my field. I don’t know why, or what I did, because I’ve never even talked to her, but she’s been going around and dragging my name.”

Zack gasped. “That’s awful.” 

“It’s alright, though. The only thing I want is to know is  _ why _ she hates me, but she won’t talk to me or Aerith, so Cloud has agreed to help me and ask her.” She beamed. 

Cloud just groaned. “I did.” 

“Hey, what’s so wrong about that?” Zack raised an eyebrow.

“It’s just- okay, look. I’d do anything for Tifa, but I know she’s going to use this as an excuse to get me to go to the Shinra Ball.” He frowned. “But, wait. Tifa, you said it wouldn’t work. Because she won’t talk to men.”

She nodded in agreeance, twiddling with a ring on her finger. “Yeah, that was the issue at first. But... Now we have a solution!”

“We?”

Cloud looked over at Aerith, who also seemed to be radiating with similar anticipation as Tifa. Hers was more contained though, while the other was almost bouncing.

“That’ll let us do our original plan.” She clarified, and Cloud stiffened. He felt dread coil up in his gut, and, god, he knew he gave her his word, but this was something he was  _ not _ looking forward too. Going to the dance was one thing, but he already had the feeling that whatever concoction the girls stirred up was going to be worse.

Way worse.

“What is it?” Zack asked, which was good because Cloud was too scared to.

“Oh, nothing much…” Tifa tilted her head and began to innocently play with a strand of hair. “Just, maybe dress you up a bit… You know, so that she  _ does _ talk to do.”

It was silent for a moment.

“Wait.” Zack started. “But if she only talks to girls…” A gasp. “Do you mean?-”

“No.” Cloud admonished, standing up. “Tifa, no no no. You are not thinking what I think you’re thinking.” 

“Oh, but I am.” She calmly nodded and smirked. “And  _ you, _ owe me a solid.”

Cloud wanted to die. But he did owe her, and even then, he would not back down on his word. He put a hand to his forehead and slumped back into the couch slowly, as if in shock. This was already a lost battle. He decided to try anyway.

“There isn’t another way? Any other ideas?”

“Nope.”

Cloud looked at Aerith helplessly. Tifa must have bullied her to get her to go along with this crazy idea, or lied or used bribery.  _ Something _ . As much as he loved her, he could easily see her being a bad influence to someone as dainty as Aerith. She wouldn’t do this to him, she was sweet and well-mannered and modest. He looked at her with the most pleading look he could muster. If he could get her to change Tifa’s mind-

“It was my idea.”

Cloud felt her mouth go slack at Aerith’s confession. Suddenly his angelic impression of her shattered and burst into a thousand pieces; gone.  _ Aerith _ was the bad influence! 

"Why would you- I don't- I thought you would be on my side! That's a crazy idea!"

Aerith shook her head and giggled. "No it isn't! You'd make such a pretty girl!"

"Yeah!" Tifa agreed. 

Cloud felt his face grow hot at the comment (compliment?) and tried to ignore the fact that he could hear Zack trying to stifle his laughter.

“Wait!” He said, realizing something. “It won’t work because of my eyes! Besides the color standing out, they’ll also glow, remember?”

Tifa scoffed and rolled her eyes. “It’s a  _ ball _ , not a rave. The building will be lit. Plus, we’re already planning to get you colored contacts, so that not an issue.”

Cloud felt as if he’d been shot. Tifa had completed disassembled his excuse, and he couldn’t think of another one on the spot.

"I'm not going to cross dress."

"Oh, but Cloud I thought you wanted to help." Tifa whined. "You promised!"

"I never specifically promised-"

"You said you'd do anything."

"But to this extent? You're practically taking advantage!"

"Please, Cloud? Pretty please? It'd make me so happy if you get you to go to the ball, I-"

Tifa slid off the low perch of the coffee table and kneeled to dramatically clasp Cloud's hand.

"I would be so grateful, you'd be doing me such a good favor.” 

“Pleaseeee??” Aerith echoed, clasping her own hands together as if in prayer. Seeing the two ecstatic girls made Cloud’s shoulders droop.    
“I feel like I don’t have much of a choice…”

“You don’t.” She beamed. 

The blond put his head in his hands and groaned. They were really going to make him do this, huh? They were going to make him go to the ball and dress as a  _ girl _ doing it. Just the idea was enough to make blush rise on his face, and it was extra difficult to ignore the fact that he could feel Zack’s eyes watching him. Ugh, this is going to be so embarassing.

“Fine, I’ll do it. But only because I owe you.”

“Yay!” Tifa squealed, standing up. “Okay, let’s start Operation Scarlet! First order of business…” She paused and turned to Zack. “We need donations.”

“For what?!” Cloud complained.

“For the dress, of course!” Aerith supplied. “We also need shoes, hair extensions, makeup, but I can cover a lot of it.”

“Oh, for sure then.” Zack nodded, already taking out his wallet. 

“Zack!”

“Cloud, I’m doing you a favor.”

“You are not!”

“Thank you!” Tifa sang, not hesitating to take the cash from the noiret’s hand. She then pivoted to Cloud. “Second order of business! We need to go find you a dress.” 

“Right now?!”

“Yes, right now! The ball is TWO days away! Do you realize how late that is to not have your dress yet?”

“What fancy dress store is even going to be open at this hour?” 

“That’s why we have Aerith.” Tifa said, gesturing towards her. Cloud looked and barely realized that Aerith had taken out her phone and was texting someone rather purposefully. “We’re good to go!” She quipped, looking up and showing TIfa a text on her phone. “Perfect!”

After getting two confused expressions from the boys, Aerith smiled and began to elaborate. “I have a friend who’s the son of the Honey Bee owner, and he just agreed to come to the south location and open it up for us.”

Honey Bee? The highest female luxury brand in the clothing industry? Even Cloud had heard of it, despite growing up in a town that didn’t have one of their stores, let alone could afford them. And  _ of course _ Aerith was on texting terms with the heir the one of the richest companies in Midgar. 

Fantastic.

“I can’t believe you guys.” He sighed, shaking his head. Zack just laughed and nudged him teasingly. “They’re spoiling you.”

Cloud refused to look at him and just groaned. “Don’t make this worse for me than it already is.”

He already had to go to the dumb Shinra Ball, and now go dressed as a girl in front of everyone. It could not get any worse-

“Oh here.” Tifa chirped, handing Zack a ticket. “We figured that you’d donate and that Cloud would agree to go as a girl, so here’s a little compensation! We got your guys’ ticket for the ball. It’s a couple’s ticket since it’s cheaper than buying two singles, so you’re each other's date. Your welcome.” 

“Oh.”

“ _ Oh _ .” Cloud echoed, his tone more in horror and while Zack’s was just flat. He just had to jinx it, didn’t he? A barrage of thoughts assaulted him at hearing the phrase ‘Zack’s date’, but he quickly shook them out of his head. Not wanting to even  _ have _ to think about it, Cloud stood from the couch and crossed his arms.

“Let’s just get this over with.”

“Alright!” Tifa agreed, already getting her purse and keys. Aerith joined them and also stood, but held up a finger to Zack when he was about to. “Nope. You can’t come.”

“Aw, why not?” The noiret whined.

“This is a girls’ night. No boys allowed.”

“Hey!” Cloud complained. Before he could retort further, Tifa was already pushing him out of the door. 

“Cloud, wait!” 

Zack ran around Aerith and held out the bowl of ice cream to the blond, who just regarded him pensively. “You need this more than me.” He explained. An emotion Zack couldn't place flitted across the blond’s face before dissolving, a scowl over taking his features again.

“Oh, shut up.” Cloud groused, but he took the ice cream anyway. He was honestly touched by the offer, but he was currently short-circutting still and didn’t know how to act around Zack at the moment. The recent events that transpired left his mind whirring, but he didn’t want the noiret to know that. The whole situation was embarrassing enough as it is, after all. 

Cloud sighed in defeat as the girls continued to drag him out of the room, sparing a quick glance back to see Zack. He was still in the doorway and had his hands in his pant pockets, his expression a mix between an encouraging smile and concern. Their eyes met. Cloud pivoted and refused to look back again as the girls waved bye to him, caught off guard. 

Why did he have to look like that? 

He expected the noiret to be left in the girls’ dorm confused, or reeling from the whole thing, or even amused or trying to cover a laugh at Cloud’s expense. Anything other than that kind, almost fond, expression he wore while watching them leave. Would he act the same way for the ball? The thought itself made Cloud want to hide his face; that’s even more embarrassing! He’d prefer the noiret’s teasing and jabs rather than actual caring or concern.

“You ready to find a pretty dress?” Tifa asked, taking the blond out of his thoughts.

“Not at all.” 

Cloud sighed and wondered how he managed to get into this mess. At least there was the comfort of food, right? He looked down on the bowel and was glad to see that Zack saved him a lot of ice cream, but his smile instantly vanished a second later.

There was only one spoon. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There we go! That’s the whole recipe to get Cloud to go to a ball crossdressed with Zack as his date! Now we just have to bake it at 69 degrees fahrenheit for a week or two ;)   
> Hopefully this entire next chapter is the ball, but with all the shenanigans I have planned, it might be two chapters! Also the other love interest in the harem comes into play, huehuehue~


	9. Celebrity Crush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cloud began weaving through the crowd as he contemplated, pausing short as he saw Zack leaning against a wall not too far away, watching him. Upon making eye contact, the noiret gave an unamused look and raised a single eyebrow, crossing his arms.
> 
> Oh fuck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOF this was baked for like 2 months instead of 2 weeks, I'm sorry!  
> On the bright side, this accidentally ended up 20 pages and will definitely need 2 more chapters (at least) to cover everything. I hope this one doesn't disappoint and that you continue to stay tuned! It's very appreciated <3

Cloud didn’t realize how much went into being a  _ girl _ .

When they had went dress shopping, he wasn’t able to just pick one and be done with it like he thought he would be able to. After pointing out a few dresses that he thought looked ‘fine’, the girls acted appalled and instead directed him to ones that were so overly pretty and bejeweled. Not only that, but they insisted that he tried on every. Single. One.

Then, they went to tons of other stores to find makeup that "matched his color", extensions, contacts, and tons of other things that Cloud suddenly found himself cursing for being available in 24 hour super markets. Even once they got back to the dorm, they only kicked Zack out and had Cloud practice walking in heels for hours, despite the fact that it was against university curfew by then. The girls were obviously too enamored to care.

That night had passed on in a surreal blur, leaving Cloud to still process the fact that he was going to be forced to crossdress. He was almost desensitized to the whole thing after trying on what felt like a million dresses and walking up and down in 3 inch heels until the sun rose, but that fuzzy grogginess was completely gone now.

The whole situation was hitting him like a freight train as he was forced to sit through both Tifa and Aerith getting him ready. It didn’t help that he was barely realizing the ball was in a few hours. He knew it was coming, but he felt as if it’d snuck up on him out of the blue, and now there was only anxiety in his stomach as the girls surrounded him. 

“You have such good bone structure.” Aerith airily commented as she dabbed a brush on his eyelid. She was working on his makeup while Tifa was doing his hair. It was strange to feel cold powders on his face and the slight pull of his head as his extensions were brushed and curled, every sensation foreign. 

“Keep your eyes closed.” She warned.

“Ah, sorry.” He mumbled, just noticing how his eyelashes were fluttering. It was very hard to not recoil back or flinch when he felt cool liquid streak across his skin, but did his best to stay still anyway. 

“I feel ridiculous.” 

“Oh, please.” Tifa cooed. She was curling a strand by his face and Cloud duly noted feeling the heat close to his skin. “You look so gorgeous already.”

Cloud peeked, since he felt Aerith move on to doing something with his brows, and did his best to give Tifa a glare before he realized she wouldn’t see it. “You’re just saying that.”

“I’m not.”

Cloud huffed, but didn’t bother to continue complaining. It was strangely relaxing to just let them dress him up like this, but he’d never admit it. However, the peace would shatter the instance he was reminded that he was going into  _ public _ like this. So for now he opted to let himself be oblivious and enjoy it, the hum Aerith was singing sending him to near sleep.

Too soon, he heard Tifa put the curler down and felt Aerith step back.

“Done!” She chirped.

The girls squealed together seeing their finished product and Tifa eagerly pulled Cloud up from the chair. "Come look at yourself in the mirror!"

"Ugh, but I really don't want to-"

"Look!"

Cloud couldn't particularly avoid being dragged to her room, but he did try his best to resist looking immediately to the reflective surface of her full-length mirror. The only reason he had been able to go through most of this so far was because he had been refusing to look at himself the entire time because, if he did, it’d make the whole thing seem more  _ real _ . Though now, he supposed he didn’t have much of a choice.

“Oh-”   
He must’ve completely stilled from the shock, because the reflection he saw before himself looked like a  _ girl _ caught in headlights. Cloud almost didn’t recognize himself. The blonde hair extensions, which were curled at the bottom, fell around his feminine face, which was emphasized by the makeup. The eyeshadow was nothing bold, just natural browns and creams, but the colors had this youthful effect to his eyes and face, along with the light concealer and contour. His nose and chin was already considerably soft a dainty for being a guy, now even more so, and not to mention how much longer and thicker his lashes looked. Even more foreign were his eyes, which had turned into a shade of mauve due to the purple contacts. He finally tore his eyes away from his face and looked down at the gown that, he just noticed, matched in color.

Pale mauve and light lilac shades of silk adorned the dress. It was an off-the-shoulder garment that clung to Cloud’s torso, a corset built in, before spreading out into elegant twirls and layers of fabric. It had accents of black lace that weaved in and out of the design, frilling the bottom and lining the seams of the corset, along with matching with the thick lace gloves that covered up to his elbows. The girls had said it would hide his muscle lines. Along with that, he vaguely recalled how Tifa and Aerith were cooing over how good the style fit him when they’d chosen it at the store. Something about the low back corset ‘exaggerating his thin waist’ and the off-the-shoulder effectively ‘making up for the lack of chest by sexulizing the collarbone’ and another comment about the gown ‘giving the illusion of a woman’s hips’. Whatever that meant. He wasn’t sure how to make some in-depth observations about the dress’s fit on his body, but he believed what the girls said must be accurate because it for sure managed to make his body  _ look _ female. 

The most starking of all, though, was how he looked next to them. 

Tifa and Aerith were on both of his sides, grinning with pride at him through the mirror and practically coddling him. They had already been dressed before they called him over to get him ready and it apparently took all day, but it definitely seemed worth it. Both of the girls looked the most stunning he’d ever seen them.

Tifa’s gown was in elegant shades of light blue with white and gold accents, the top a strapless halter neck crossing liked two ribbons, and a sliver a mid-section exposed right under the chest. She wore long gloves as well, thought they were lined in gold leaf and white, and the dress itself fell into layered petals. She wore her hair completely down and her makeup complimented the specs of gold across her outfit perfectly. Aerith looked just as magnificent, her gown a starking deep red. Hers had a deep v-shaped slit from her chest to her torso that showed modest cleavage, but the gown was far more than just classy with its quarter sleeves and entire back that turned into velvet rose-patterned lace. Long curls of brown amber locks fell over her shoulders, the volume realized in the partial up-do she tied it in. 

Safe to say, Cloud would not hesitate to say that they must be the most beautiful girls that ever walked the earth.

That’s why it was even more shocking to see his reflection actually  _ fit in _ with them. If he had not known these girls, but saw them walking with the blonde between them, he would not doubt that they were the prettiest trio of women to grace his eyes. 

Cloud was not used to having anything objective to base his looks on, but the reflection bearing someone that looked so unlike him almost made it so. For years growing up, he’d only known he was attractive because that was the only thing he had going for him back in Nibelheim; Completely shunned by other boys but endlessly chased by younger girls, it wasn't hard to single out. One time he tried to flash what he hoped was a charming smile to get a girl to believe his lie that he had somewhere else to be, and it worked, so he kept doing it. Despite the results, despite what others had told him, he’d never  _ felt _ attractive. It was more of a given that he just accepted to assume, because there was nothing else he could do when every visit looking in a mirror only made him grimace.

But now he didn’t look like himself. 

It was as if being another person eliminated this barrier of self-perception that kept him doubting his entire life, because there was no taking back that his first thought seeing himself was,  _ ‘Wow, she’s pretty’. _

He almost couldn't believe it.

“Oh…” He repeated, still in shock. Tifa was practically ecstatic. “Best disguise ever or what??”

“I’m not sure what to say…”   
“You look so pretty, just like I knew you would!” Aerith preened, giggling along with Tifa. They high-fived in one another in congratulations behind his back and Cloud was able to forget his stupor long enough to look at them accusingly. “I still think this was mostly an excuse to play dress up with me.”

“And who wouldn’t want that?” Aerith countered, already leaving the room with a coy grin. “I’m going to start cleaning up the supplies we left in the living room. We should leave in about half an hour.”

“Half an hour!” 

Once again the reality check rattled him.

“It’ll be fine!” Tifa comforted, patting his shoulder. Before she could say anything else, a loud knock came from the other room. “Oh! Your date is here!” She winked.

“Hey! He’s not-”

“I’ll let you breathe and situate yourself in here for a bit while I go greet our guest!” 

Before he could get out another word, Tifa closed the door and left him alone in her room. 

Well then.

With the sudden flurry of chaos that came and went, it became almost hauntedly quiet right after, despite the fact he could perfectly hear what was going on in the living room. He could hear Tifa joyfully greeting Zack and welcoming inside, Aerith saying something about his suit looking good, Tifa agreeing. 

Wait.

Cloud took a step towards the door, suddenly overcome with curiosity. He'd never seen Zack dressed up before. Would he have done his hair differently? Would he be wearing a tie or bow? A vest? A jacket? For some reason the blond caught himself wondering about these nonsensical things and was only stopped short when he slightly teetered with the foriegn weight of the gown on high heels. 

Oh yeah, he was a ‘girl’ at the moment. 

He hesitantly turned back around to look in the mirror, now feeling more nervous than before. Then he saw it. That frown that met him everytime he saw his reflection, and that was enough of a glimpse to see himself again. Enough to suddenly see his _real_ self; an insecure boy in a dress.

Ridiculous.

_ I look ridiculous.  _

And Zack was going to see him like that. 

“Cloud!” Tifa called. “You ready to come out for your date?”

A sudden panic gripped the blond. He saw her begin to open the door and rushed to close it again. “No! Wait!”

The door slammed and the other room went quiet for a moment. Tifa knocked again. “C’mon Cloud! You look fine!”

“I’m not coming out!” He suddenly decided. He just couldn’t; his heart was pounding too fast and his hands were shaking too much as he held onto the door knob. 

“What’s wrong?”

“I look stupid!”

He heard both of the girls gasp. “No you don’t!” Aerith argued.

It was silent for another moment and Cloud briefly wondered why Zack hadn’t said anything to him yet. He partially expected a teasing goad to get him to come out or encouragement similar to the girls’, but instead the noiret was staying uncharacteristically quiet. 

“Cloud?” Tifa asked, voice turned soft and quiet. “Can I come in?”

Cloud hesitated for a second, but let go of the door with a sigh. “Okay…”

Tifa quickly slipped inside and shut the door behind her before anyone outside could have a glimpse of the room. 

“Are you alright?” She whispered. Her playful demeanor was gone and replaced by an expression of concern that made Cloud’s stomach twist with guilt.    
“I’m okay, it’s just- I’m sorry I don’t know what came over me. I was fine but then I just panicked- I thought I could do this but I guess I can’t- I mean.... I don’t know-”

“Hey, hey.” She cut off his rambling sensing it was snowballing. “It’s okay. It’s okay. Don’t worry about me right now, focus on yourself, okay? Take a deep breath. C’mon, do it with me. Breathe in, breathe out… Yeah, just like that.”

He hadn’t realized his breathing had gotten hysterical and it was with a lot of effort he was able to eventually slow it down again. “Sorry. I was about to do it again, wasn’t I?”

“Hey, stop. Don’t be sorry.” She gave him a comforting smile and rubbed his arm. “Listen,  _ I’m _ sorry. I knew this would be a bit stressful for you, but I asked anyway. You really don’t have to do this anymore if you don’t want to.” She hugged him gently. “I won’t hold it against you, okay?”

Cloud stood in her embrace for a while, the warmth comforting and familiar until her words barely processed. He suddenly pulled back.

“Wait, wait.” Cloud frowned. “I really do want to help you out here though. I can do this, I can. I just overreacted for a second.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Are you sure? I-”   
“Yes Tifa, I really want to.” He assured, the wave of panic seeping away. The anxiety was still there, but it wasn’t anything he hadn’t dealt with before and it was already being dulled by his sense of duty. He was at least equally determined to do this rather than only scared. 

“It’s only that I realized just how embarrassing this is when Zack came, is all.”

“Zack?” If possible, her eyebrows went even higher. “But you’re friends. I mean, you were fine with Aerith and I, right?”

“Well, yeah. Because you’re both  _ girls _ . It’s different-”

“Because to you, Zack is-”

“Another  _ guy _ , Tifa.” He exasperated, as if it was common sense. She didn’t seem convinced. “Is that what got you riled up?”

“What? No, no, it wasn’t just that. It was just-” He stopped. Tifa’s expression turned triumph and smug. “Uh-huh.” She jeered. “Sure.”

Cloud stuttered and stumbled over his words trying to come up with a defense. “Look, I- I don’t really know why… It just did, okay?” He admitted. She must’ve known that was the honest truth as well, because she let it drop and put comforting hands on his shoulders. 

“Well, if you’re completely sure you want to do this-”

“I am.”

Tifa playfully rolled her eyes and shook him lightly. “Listen to me, silly. If you’re  _ completely _ sure you want to do this, I’ll walk out with you, okay? And then tonight will zoom by so fast that you won’t even know what you were all worried about.”

“Comforting.” He said dryly.

“Oh, shush you.” She laughed. “Besides, Zack will think you look gorgeous.”

“As if I care what he-”

“Yeah, yeah. Come and greet your date.”

Cloud partially scoffed in disbelief and annoyance. “Okay, you were being really nice just a second ago.”

Tifa just smiled. “But you know I love you.”

“I love you too.” Cloud conceded under his breath. “Fine. I’m ready.” 

Embarrassment was already tensing his shoulders as she aligned him to the door. “Okayy!” She called, pushing the door open. 

Now there was no turning back.

He caught sight of Aerith, who looked absolutely elated, and tentatively looked further to her left where he knew Zack’s figure stood. His breath caught.

Zack looked absolutely stunning. 

He wore a perfect fitting suit that embellished his broad shoulders and fit torso, pants running effortlessly down his legs without a single crease. His white button-up shirt clung snuggly to his frame, and he didn’t wear a tie or a bow, but a mauve pocket square that matched Cloud’s dress. His hair was also styled differently for once, a single long strand out of place while the rest was slicked back, showing off his jawline. That, along with the contrast with his fair skin and dark hair, make him look almost too perfectly handsome. When Cloud saw him like that, he felt a flutter in his stomach and heat rise to his face.

“Are we all ready?” Tifa cheered, taking her side by Aerith. Cloud mentally blessed her for not taking any time to point out his ‘disguise’, because walking out like this was already hard enough as it was.

“Oh, wait. I left our ticket on my desk.” Aerith remembered. She flashed everyone an apologetic smile and began to make her way to the other room. For a second, her leaving caused a flit of panic through Cloud, but then he relaxed again knowing that Tifa was still with him. For some reason, the thought of being alone with Zack at the moment was a little overwhelming. 

“I thought I saw it on the shelf!” Tifa called, suddenly following her. Cloud felt his chest seize up. Even worse, as she disappeared behind the corner, she threw Cloud a playful wink and subtle thumbs up as she abandoned him.

Curse her. 

Cloud let out a shuddering breath, coming to grips that he was left alone. 

“Hey.” Zack greeted, the room painfully quiet.

“Hi...” 

Cloud couldn’t look at him. His eyes flitted from different parts of his suit and briefly his face before giving up and settling on the floor. Looking at the floor was much easier. He found his hands fidgeting over the front of his dress, going back and forth from caressing the fingers on one hand before going to the other, to the wrist, to the palm, and back again. 

“Ahem.” Zack forcefully coughed and Cloud could hear him shift to another foot. “You look really nice.” He commented. 

Cloud looked up incredulously. Seriously? He was about to shoot back a retort to what he could only assume was a sarcastic remark, but stopped himself, seeing Zack’s strange expression. It looked forcefully casual, as if he was trying to hide an emotion from showing through. But when he met his eyes, a barrage of different expressions flickered before going cold again, and then Zack looked away.

Cloud's heart dropped. Was he disgusted? Revolted? He had never seen him make that kind of face before. One thing was for sure, the usually charismatic noiret was acting awkward, which could only mean he felt uncomfortable. Or worse. Cloud suddenly wanted to hide his face, embarrassment clawing to his chest.

“Sure. Uh thanks though, I guess…” He looked away, not trusting his efforts on concealing what he was actually thinking, “You look really nice too.” He tried. 

The reciprocation seemed to thaw some of the ice, thankfully, and Zack visibly perked up from his stupor. He let out a strangled laugh. “Sorry, I just didn’t expect you to look so…” He trailed off, attempting to gesture as he searched for the right word. Cloud regarded him apprehensively. Was he thinking he looked ridiculous? Pathetic? Ugly?

“Convincing.” He finally said. 

“Convincing?”

“Yeah, like… you know. You look like- Like an actual  _ girl _ .” He idly scratched the bridge of his nose and Cloud wasn’t sure if he was blushing or if it was a trick of the light.

“Oh.”

He swayed on his heels unsure of what to make of that, but before he could ask him to elaborate, the noiret suddenly shifted. 

“Oh! I almost forgot!” He suddenly grinned and went to the doorway to pick up a small box he left on a nearby shelf. “I got this for you.”

Cloud was thrown off, confused. “Did the girls make you get it?”

“Kinda. I was the one to pick it out though.”    
He opened the container and showcased it to the blond, beaming. 

“A corsage?”

“Yup!”

It was a simple but pretty one, the flowers a range of pastel turquoise with white baby breath and light green leaves bordering them. The ribbon was even in matching black lace.

“It reminded me of your eyes.” He said, gently picking it out of the box.

“We have the same mako color.” Cloud reminded, but he couldn’t help but start to smile. It was with relief he felt that Zack was acting more like himself now. “Though I guess not at the moment.”

The relief soon plumented, however, as Zack’s expression turned serious again. He grabbed Cloud’s hand then paused, looking at him in the eyes. The blonde’s fingers flinched, but Zack’s hold was steady, and he felt his face heat up as the noiret held his gaze. For the second time, Zack was looking at him with an expression the blond couldn’t place. It almost gave him the chills, but the strange moment was over as quickly as it started.

“Oh yeah, I forgot you’re wearing contacts.” Was all Zack ended up saying.

He continued and casually got on one knee to better wrap the corsage on Cloud’s wrist. With surprisingly almost expert precision, he laced the ribbon around comfortably and tied it off neatly. It must've been because of the anxiety, but suddenly Cloud was hyperware of how Zack’s hands brushed against his, and the sensation made it difficult to not recoil. He mentally tried to calm himself and exhaled deeply as he watched him, the tension in his shoulders finally beginning to dissipate. 

He knew he was overreacting to everything right now, and he knew it was stupid, but he still couldn’t help the way his heart skipped when Zack finished and looked up at him. 

“There.” Zack said, gently tugging to make sure it wouldn’t come undone. “It’ll match  _ my _ eyes then.”

“Zack, you didn’t have to-”

The noiret stood up and beamed, shifting into a position of ease by putting both hands behind his head.   
“Hey, hey, hey.  _ You’re _ my date, remember? It’s common decency, so don’t worry about it.”

Cloud felt his face go flush at the statement, but also felt slight relief from Zack’s teasing. 

He definitely preferred the taunts over whatever was happening before, for sure. Maybe it was just the initial shock that had Zack acting strange, as opposed to disgust or unease. 

Maybe.

“We’re just sharing a ticket.” He pointed out. The noiret only laughed and shook his head. “Maybe to you, but  _ I _ actually care a lot about this. So you better bet I’m going to go all out!”

“Wha-” 

Cloud couldn’t do it. The emotions Zack was pulling him through went from one extreme to another. First he was acting distant, but now his teasing was going on overdrive. He couldn’t possibly mean any of those things, right? 

Cloud did his best to collect himself and school his blushing, he hated how Zack always managed to do that in the first place, and playfully jabbed the noiret’s shoulder and took a step back. Zack hadn’t really backed up after getting up from his knee, and that was longer than Cloud deemed comfortable in his personal space.

“This is embarrassing enough as it is without you going and saying dumb things like that.” 

“What is there to be embarrassed about?”

Cloud shot him an incredulous look and gestured widely to himself. 

“Um, I look ridiculous right now for God’s sake.”

Zack frowned and opened his mouth, obviously about to argue, but was stopped short as Tifa and Aerith came out of their room, waving their ticket in the air.

“We found it!” Tifa cried.

“We found our ticket!” Aerith repeated, out of breath with joy.

Cloud raised his eyebrows, surprised that maybe helping Aerith look for the ticket really wasn't an excuse to abandon him. “Where was it?”

“It somehow got ‘stuck’ under the flower vase on Aerith’s desk.” 

“Okay, I admit I might’ve accidentally put a flower on it.” Aerith laughed. “But we’re not late yet, so it’s okay!”

“Ugh, almost. Ten ‘till!”

“Really??”

“Yes, ‘really’!” Tifa derided. Despite her tone, she was laughing with her. “Okay, then. Is everyone ready?”

“Ready!” Aerith decided for everyone.

Tifa nodded and excitedly opened the door and gestured for everyone to follow. 

Cloud watched the girls walk out with apprehension, dreading the inevitable pain of this ‘Scarlet’ operation, but he felt his expression softened when he caught Zack’s eye. The noirete smiled at him and turned towards the door.    
“Shall we depart, milady?” He bloviated, adopting the tone of a pompous gentlemen. He held his arm out to Cloud, who made a show of rolling his eyes. “You’re not funny.”

The blond really wanted to blow him off to prove his point, but for some reason the looks of anticipation on the girls made him choose against it. With a defeated sigh, he accepted the offer and linked both arms around his. Zack seemed absolutely preened. 

Great.

“Oh, you actually got him a corsage.”Tifa noticed as she closed the door behind the group. They all began to walk down the hall and, being as the girls’ dorm was on the bottom floor, the lobby was already close by.

“Zack!” Aerith admonished, “The flowers are supposed to match the dress! Didn’t I tell you that?”   
“Hey, relax! The blue goes well with purple! Besides,” he huffed, “They match our eyes.”

“You mean  _ your _ eyes.”

“So I might’ve kinda forgot he’d wear contacts… I confess.”

“Zack, how many times have I told you-” 

“I like them.” Cloud suddenly spoke up. At that, both went silent and suddenly the blond realized what he just said.

“I mean- Well, I guess that it makes both our outfits match better... since, you know, his eyes are the only ones that really stand out now… so it at least  _ looks _ intentional.”

He could tell Zack was watching him, so he did his best to not let his fluster show. “At least that’s what I think.” He added quickly, ducking his head.

“My date has spoken.” Zack proudly concluded while Aerith just fondly rolled her eyes. Before Cloud could remark against being called the noiret’s date, Tifa paused in her steps as they got to the end of the hallway. 

“Looks like we’re not the only ones running late.” She pointed out as they reached the lobby. Groups of people dressed up lavishly were loitering, probably waiting for friends or dates, and paid them no mind as they continued chattering excitedly. “C’mon.” Tifa directed. She led the group of four quickly through the room and to the doors, where a rush of cold evening air bit at Cloud’s face and shoulders. 

“Ah-” The blonde winced, not expecting the rapid change in temperature. The girls had similar expressions, but seemed to be faring better, having expected it unlike Cloud. He wore almost nothing but hoodies, after all, so the difference it made to be wearing something off-shoulder for the first time was dramatic.

Zack seemed to instantly notice and let go of the blond’s arm to let him hug himself, and instead moved to resituate his arm to protectively wrap around Cloud’s shoulder.

“Good thing the event center is right across the dorm’s, right?”

“You mean the event center that’s across the  _ courtyard _ that’s in between the dorms?” Cloud corrected, annoyed for this valid reason the noiret had to put his arm around him. Despite it, he didn’t complain or try moving it. 

“Oh, stop whining, Cloud. It’s not far.” Tifa jested, laughing when the blond shot her a glare. 

“I never wanted to come to this.” He reminded everyone.

“Please. You’ll have fun.” Aerith assured, being nicer than Tifa and giving him a sweet smile.

The rest made sounds of agreement and Cloud had to suck in his breath to keep from rejecting them all.

“Do you remember the plan?” Tifa asked, shooting Cloud and sideways glance.

“Of course I do.”

How could he forget the intricacy of it all after being forced to listen to it countless times? Tifa had obviously been meticulous about the whole thing, after all. 

She had done some ‘digging’ and found out that Scarlet’s supposed misandry came about after a pretty dramatic rejection from one of her university seniors some years ago. And that same man, who she probably still wasn’t over, was going to be a special guest at tonight’s ball as this year’s ‘Most Successful Graduated Alumni’. As such, Cloud’s first job was to get Scarlet’s attention by talking to this ex-crush, and then he had to spring the question about Tifa once the elite would undoubtedly confront him. He wasn’t so sure why Tifa was so positive this would work, but he did agree with the logic that going up himself to interrogate her on the matter was far too suspicious. Not to mention, it would completely jeopardize their goal. As soon as she felt as if Cloud was a friend of Tifa’s, she would refuse to give a straight answer, so he was going to have to goad her into it. 

Easy enough, right?

Cloud sighed and tried to not let his mild stress show. To add to the complexity, this graduated alumni he would have to get the attention of was a mystery to all the students and guests, so he wouldn’t know who it was until he was announced. Only the elites got a heads up from the University, and, although Scarlet kept the confidence, word had made its way around that she was not looking forward to seeing this person due to him being a ‘past love’. Tifa was certain it was the one who rejected her and not an actual ex she used to date, but either way she believed having Cloud talk to them would bother Scarlet enough. 

To make the whole thing even more convincing, Tifa and Aerith took some hours to coach him to sound more femine. Turns out, the blond had a knack for sounding decently natural when talking in a higher pitch, and the girls deemed it as a believable, though lower, female’s voice. 

“Perfect. You and Zack will head in first then. Aerith and I will wait about five minutes so that she doesn’t suspect us coming together.”

Cloud nodded, giving both girls a small wave as they stopped right before the entrance of the event center. 

“Good luck!” Offered Aerith.

“Thanks. I’ll see you guys in a bit.”

Tifa turned to Zack.

“You know what you have to do?”

He laughed and nodded.”Stay out of the way. Only watch from afar, and only intervene if it all goes terribly wrong.”

“Good.”

Cloud looked between the two, appalled having never heard this part of the plan before, and opened his mouth to protest the arrangement. Zack must’ve sensed it, because he quickly led him inside before he even had the chance.

“Listen, this’ll go fine. I’m positive.”

“Easy for you to say.” Cloud groused, reprimanding his own ability to resist the way Zack shifted to link their arms together again. “You’re not the one that has to act like a girl.”

“Oh! Can I hear your girl voice?” Zack suddenly asked. “Aerith told me it wasn't half-bad.”

“No.” 

“Aw, please?” 

“No, Zack.” Cloud laughed despite himself and and gently pushed him with his shoulder. The noiret was acting like a puppy.

“Welcome to the Shinra Ball.” A receptionist greeted, smiling and holding out her hand. Zack gave her the ticket and nodded when she directed them to go through the large double doors to the left, expertly managing to pull Cloud despite his feeble resistance.

As if reality hadn’t slapped Cloud in the face enough times that day, realization once again was hitting him like a freight train. He could already hear the loud murmur of voices coming from the main event room, which had been refurbished as a ballroom, and the cloak of chatter became louder the instant they walked through the doors. Despite the anxiety of it all, Cloud couldn’t help but look up and take a moment to be in awe. 

“Woah.” 

He had seen the event center once, when Zack had forced him to explore the entire campus, and it was mostly a large, high-ceiling room that was bare besides for a few plagues and displays that showcased Midgar University’s history. 

However, that sterile room had been completely transformed.

Amber chandeliers hung elegantly, along with cream curtains that draped down the long walls, bathing the whole room in warm light. They must’ve gotten temporary vinyl flooring as well, because pretty brown and white tile that wasn’t there before swirled throughout the floor in a graceful design. Along one side of the room was a row of white plush victorian chairs, separated by dark walnut lamp tables that were adorned by tall crystal vases with orchids, while on the other side was a few long tables with confections. At the very end, laid a small platform-stage, and there played a small live orchestra performing waltzes and other classical music. The rest of the floor was clear, intended for dancing and socializing while standing as such in an actual seventeenth-hundred ball. 

“They went all out on this ‘Victorian’ theme, huh?” Zack noted, trying to look over the large crowd already congregated. If it wasn’t for everyone  _ not _ wearing white wigs, and for the subtle details in color and design of gowns across the room, Cloud would have genuinely though he got sent back in time. 

“For sure.” He agreed.

A few people closer by the doors had turned their heads towards them as they entered, and their gazes were lasting longer than he was comfortable with.

“Can we go over there?” He asked, gesturing his chin towards the corner with the table. 

“Why? You don’t want people to see how great we look together?” Zack chided. Although, even as he said it, he was already obliging and walking him away.

“ _ Zack _ . Please.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll stop.”

Cloud found that hard to believe when the noiret was still grinning mischievously like that, but he decided to be positive for once.    
“Thank you.” He sighed, letting go of his arm with relief. Zack made a sound of disappointment, but the blond promptly ignored it. 

“Do you know when they’ll announce the special guest?”

Zack put his hands in his pockets and shrugged. “Probably right now?”

“What do you mean-” Cloud trailed off as he followed Zack’s eyes, which were looking towards the stage. There, headmaster Rufus was already stepping up to the platform as the orchestra stopped playing, a microphone in his hand.

Cloud curiously raised his eyebrows. Looks like he wouldn't have to wait long. 

Not being the only ones to notice the headmaster, the rest of the room got significantly quieter as he prepared to open the ceremony. He tapped the mic expectantly and smiled in approval when the sound rang around the room. 

“Good evening ladies and gentlemen.” 

There was a murmur of returned greeting, accompanied by stifled giggles among the crowd from swooning girls, before it got attentively silent again. Rufus smiled and nodded as he continued.

“I thank you all for participating in this grand Shinra Ball tonight. As you know, this has been tradition here since the founding of Midgar University. This is a night where all students, regardless of class and field, have a chance to be equals and simply dance with one another. Student growth and inclusivity is what we value, and tonight is the best time for such, so I implore you to seize this opportunity.” 

He paused for a moment while light applause echoed and continued once it died down. 

“I am proud to host this year’s ball especially, because we have the honor of presenting a guest that is one of the most successful graduated alumni in all of our history.”

The crowd cheered this time, excitement clearing buzzing. Cloud took the moment to glance at the entrance, spotting the girls right as they walked in. Tifa caught his eye as well and flashed a subtle thumbs up and wink as she and Aerith walked to the other side of the room. It was with dismay Cloud tore his eyes away from her retreating back and looked back up at the headmaster. 

He had a job to do.

Already, there was a figure emerging from the same out-of-sight corner that Rufus had come from. Cloud could barely pick up on the sound of audible gasps from those lucky enough to be in the front of the room, and he strained to catch a glimpse of the special guest. The first thing he could pick out from his distance was the stride of broad shoulders in a dark suit; so it at least confirmed to be a man. Scarlet’s ex or lost crush? Hopefully either or… if Tifa’s information was right. Rufus shifted as the mystery man approached, preparing for his introduction, and Cloud felt his eyes go wide as he caught sight of silver hair.  _ Long _ , silver hair.

It couldn’t be- 

“Please welcome, Midgar’s finest: Sephiroth!”

Applause roared like a muted tidal wave as blood rushed to Cloud’s ears, his muscles going taunt and his stomach falling. Sephiroth? As in the pop star idol Sephiroth? As in the lead singer in the boy band ‘SOILDER’ that went on to have a massive solo artist career? As in the model/actor that has his own fashion line and oscar-winning movie? The same Sephiroth that Cloud has secretly been a fan of since his teens, completed with poster-collecting and social-media stalking? That Sepiroth?  _ The _ Sephiroth?

Cloud felt his mouth go dry, completely frozen as the crowd went crazy. Sephiroth was actually there, in the flesh, a hand on his hip and looking to the side as if he was noticing anything besides the throng of fans at his feet. Rufus came to his side and they exchanged a causal greeting, looking on with amusement as it took the ballroom a moment to calm down.

Rufus smiled and began to speak again, but Cloud couldn’t bring himself to listen, instead watching Sepiroth in disbelief. He barely picked up on the headmaster saying something about being respectful and making some joke about this being a ball and not a concert, but it didn’t really affect the reverie that surrounded the celebrity. 

The blond was completely distressed. 

He was supposed to actually  _ talk _ to this person. Hold a conversation with him as if he was a normal person and not his fucken idol for years; as if he hadn’t ever spent days cutting and pasting all of his pictures from stolen magazines he got at the library and as if he hadn’t ever spent months saving up coins to buy his albums. 

“I can’t do it.” He said.

Zack quirked an eyebrow, regarding the blond’s rising panic tentatively. “What’s the problem?”

Cloud looked at him with disbelief and gestured wildly towards the stage. “It’s Sephiroth!?”   
Zack only shrugged. “Some singer, right?”

Cloud felt his jaw go slack. “And a model and an actor and a whole celebrity?” He squeaked, his tone between uncertainty and shock. 

“Does that… make him harder to talk to, or something?” Zack smirked, not understanding the blond’s dilemma.

“Well- I mean, I know it shouldn’t…” Cloud trailed off. He took a deep breath. “It’s just…”

_ It’s just what? _

Now that he was really thinking about it, he hadn’t realized how strange it was for this to be affecting him so much. Cloud had always thought that the way society treated celebrities was practically down-right vile at times; from ‘justified’ stalking that turned violent, to trying to grab any piece of them as they walked by onstage, to feeling entitled enough to take pictures without consent and demand autographs, and all the way to getting death-threat-level hate, harassment, and even assault- and all that is just considered as things that ‘came with the job’. They’re not treated like human beings, especially once their fame reached a certain level. Despite always feeling that way, Cloud was just realizing with shame that he had been idolizing Sephiroth almost to that point of dehumanizing. 

But why was he so different? 

The blond never really considered him a die-hard fan of anything expect of Sepiroth’s work. He still remembered that day that he saw the idol’s debut on t.v and how, despite it being a boy band, Cloud could only notice him. It was the first time he saw someone who was also makoen, like himself, and it was that initial connection that sparked an interest that no other celebrity had ever brought on before. Before that, he had never understood the appeal of buying an artist’s merch or going to their concerts. He never understood ‘celebrity crushes’ or ‘fandoms’. 

After that, though, he did. 

His fascination started small, like watching every music video and learning some song lyrics, but then it grew, and soon the blond realized that (for once) he might actually be a fan of someone.

There was nothing wrong with that, right?   
At least, that’s what Cloud had told himself when his obsession had became a little more… obsessed. Having no one to really talk about it with at time, it was practically a secret he kept to himself, and Tifa only knew about it only to the extent of ‘I’ve listened to some of his songs’. In fact, having never really vocalized his fan-boying, Cloud hadn’t noticed how unchecked he was back in highschool until now. Around senior year, he definitely already started maturing more about the whole thing, which turns out to take a long time when there’s a list of excuses and a high dose of denial, but it was obviously still something he hadn’t really expressed.

Heck, it was obviously still something he hadn’t really thought about before either. 

And now Cloud was belatedly realizing with utter horror that the reason he froze, the reason seeing Sephiroth in person made it difficult to breathe, and reason he felt his face getting hot now was because-

“Oh my god…” Zack muttered, his smug expression completely gone and replaced with shock. “Don’t tell me-”

“I-” Cloud started. He didn’t even have anything to say, but the urge to provide some sort of explanation suddenly overtook him as they locked eyes, Zack’s widening in revelation. They realized it at the same time. 

“You have a crush on him.”

“No!” Cloud blurted, a little too fast. “I-I’ve just been a fan- and- I mean, I don’t think.. Uh-”

Suddenly it was hard to speak, and the blond felt himself only getting redder without consent. Zack looked on with sheer surprise.

“You totally have a celebrity crush on him!”

“Those don’t mean anything!” The blond defended, switching tactics. Even his own brain had run dry of excuses. “Tons of people have those all the time and-”

“I didn’t peg you as the type...” Zack breathed.

“I’m not!” He exasperated throwing his arms above his head. “I can’t even name enough celebrities to fill one hand, let alone keep up with any trends with famous people!”

“So…. What you’re saying is, Sephiroth is special.”

“What? No, I- '' Cloud could tell he was flailing, and all this new self discovery and processing was not helping. Did he have a crush? He wanted to deny it so bad, but it was the only thing that made sense. Especially for all the times he would pause and replay certain parts of Sephiroth’s music videos, to relish a certain costume he was wearing, to admire an unbuttoned shirt or leather pants, to try to imagine what it’d feel like to touch his hair- oh, his hair! It was so long and the silver locks looked so silky and-

Cloud shook his head vigorously and groaned with frustration. 

This is awful. 

“He’s makoen…?” He tried.

Zack raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms and tilting his head to one side as if he was trying to solve some puzzle. 

“Look,” Cloud began, taking another deep breath to try to find the words. The  _ honest _ words. “I’m sure you’re well aware, but it wasn’t up until recently that makeons weren’t considered scary and weird looking anymore. And I’m not sure how it was for you to grow up here, but Nibelhiem was very old fashioned and closed minded. It still is. And, I don't know.. I was just so different compared to everyone there. Including Tifa, everyone there had pretty brown hair and eyes- even my mom had more of a dirty blonde hair color- and I was the only one in the entire town with mako eyes and light hair. A total black sheep... But then I saw Sephiroth on t.v. and--” Cloud choked out a small laugh and shrugged, feeling childish. “I dunno… I guess he kinda made me feel like I could be accepted? I mean..” He paused, suddenly acknowledging the feelings he never knew he had. “He had mako eyes  _ and _ white hair, but society adored him anyway… They  _ loved _ him anyway.”

Zack blinked, not sure how to respond for a second, before giving Cloud a twinkling smile.

“What?” 

“Nothing, it’s just…” Zack was grinning by this point, “That’s pretty cute.”

Cloud felt his jaw go slack, thrown aback, and seeing that made the noiret gasp and put his hands up in defense. “No, no, not like that! I didn’t mean that in a demeaning way at all!” He clarified. “Just, I meant it’s.. sweet? And I really appreciate you telling me that. You don’t usually open up so fast about your feelings so I’m just… I’m glad.”

The blond still looked at Zack incredulously for a moment before he felt his expression softened. “Oh..”

He hadn’t realized how truthful that statement was and now felt immensely guilty for it. Up till then, the most personal he had gotten with Zack was that conversation in the kitchen, and even then, he tried to shift himself from the focus, bringing up Tifa and then getting the noiret to talk about his own story. Despite it being a mutual exchange, Cloud had still reprimanded himself for saying so much after the fact, and had purposefully changed the subject at the time. But this had just come out unprompted. Completely free, without hesitation, and without censorship, as Cloud had never vocalized or acknowledged the thoughts before himself. And that had Zack looking so genuinely happy that even the blond’s inner voice didn’t yet regret it. For once.

“I’m sorry.” Cloud sighed and couldn’t help but smile back. “I didn’t realize- I…" He couldn't come up with the words. He was grateful? Glad? 

Zack only nodded, seeming to understand what he meant anyway. 

"I'm not completely happy that my date has a crush on another man though." He chided, earning a jab to the shoulder from the blond. 

"Stop calling me you're date."

"You didn't deny the crush part." He teased, laughing when Cloud once again attempted swatting at him.

"I swear I will actually ignore you if you keep this up, Zack-" 

The blond suddenly froze as Zack caught his wrist and slowly pressed his lips to his hand in chaste chivalry. Before Cloud had a chance to react, he stepped back and shot him a playful wink.

"As much as I'd like to stay though, I believe a certain friend of yours is glaring daggers at me across the room for distracting you from your mission. I must take my departure.” He said, once again mocking a gentleman's pompous tone while turning to leave. 

Cloud opened his mouth and was almost about to reach for him before he stopped himself, defiantly crossing his arms in denial of not wanting to be left alone. He’d be fine. He could do this.

Right?

Cloud looked over to where Zack disappeared and spotted Tifa. She raised her eyebrows and dramatically pointed to his wrist as if checking the time, then tilted her head toward Sephiroth. Before he could respond with aggressive gestures of his own, she was lost within the crowd as people began to shift, the speech over. 

He had drowned out the Rufus’ closing words and watched with horror as he now saw both him and Sephiroth stepping down to the ballroom floor as other people began to pair up and dance, the orchestra playing again. Cloud didn’t know exactly what the headmaster had said, but it seemed to have effectively ward off any crazed fans, perhaps even evoked fear, for the celebrity had an invisible sphere of space that no one yet dared to approach.

Cloud felt like throwing himself on the floor. 

Tifa was crazy. She still wanted him to go through with the plan as if Scarlet's ex-crush wasn’t a whole celebrity, and she hadn’t even warned him that Sephiroth was a possibility! Cloud hadn’t known he had gone to Midgar University as a student, a fact he was now mentally hitting his head on the wall for, and he was completely unprepared for this revelation. It took him a long moment before he tentatively began walking, staying at the edge of the room by the tables of sweets. 

Other people on the sidelines were either talking to a group around them, wine glasses in their hands that Cloud knew was actually the university provided punch, or watching on as pairs danced in the middle. Despite the throngs of people, the high-ceiling room managed to remain spacious and breathable, a high feat considering how much the blond wanted to hyperventilate right now. Doing his best to not double over with panic, he paused by a chocolate fountain setup and haphazardly swiped a strawberry from the nearby tray. He wasn’t the type to turn to stress eating or comfort food, but right now seemed like a great time as any. It took his eighth strawberry for Cloud to finally steel himself.

This is dumb.

With a sigh, he took a moment to scan the room to find Scarlet, finding her talking to a group further up the sidelines; Tifa had taken the honors of showing him pictures from social media selfies, so he was pretty certain it was her despite the cake of makeup. She wore charcoal smokey eyes and dashing blood red lipstick that matched her gown. The bottom half was Victorian enough, almost gothic with its black lace and rose motif, but the top was completely modern in its low slit that went all the way down the middle, showing ample cleavage. The gold chains and hoops of jewelry only added to her intimidating elegance, and Cloud couldn’t help but take a second to feel daunted by the overwhelming ‘woman-ness’ that radiated from her every pore. Definitely not the type of person he’d ever like, personally, but he could see why an over inflated ego would develop with the kind of attention she was getting. 

Cloud grimaced.

Not far from her was Sephiroth, who was listening to some girl talk to him with a tolerating smile as she leaned on one hip and flipped her hair. She was obviously not shy about trying to seduce him, and, sure enough, Scarlet’s eyes were on them. Her eyebrow twitched and he caught the way her shoulders clenched, though overall she appeared to be able to stay present in her own group conversation. When the flirty girl left the celebrity alone and was soon replaced with another swooning fan, Scarlet watched on rather disgruntled but nothing further. 

That was both a good and bad thing.

On a positive note, she was in the perfect position to see if Cloud struck up a conversation with Sephiroth, and would definitely be bothered. On the more concerning note however, simply talking to the man, like Tifa had planned, wasn’t going to be enough to fully get her attention. The fact that he was a celebrity probably had to do with it, as there wasn’t much one could do about the countless fans and and attention from women he would, with no doubt, receive. So what the fuck was Cloud supposed to do? 

The ‘mission’ revolved around the assumption that he wouldn’t have to do much rather than talk to the ex-crush to get her to confront him on her own, but now that was thrown out the window. Cloud briefly considered jeopardizing everything and going to find Tifa to tell her that it wasn’t possible, but he quickly shook the thought. He did not cross-dress for nothing. He solemnly got one last strawberry as he decided he would have to start talking to Sephiroth first, and then he’d figure out a way to get Scarlet extra jealous once he got there. He could figure it out then. He had to. 

“Are those strawberries the only reason you came?”

Cloud pivoted, shocked to hear an all too-familiar voice. Reno was now standing at his side, plucking one of the fruits for himself and popping it in his mouth before shooting him a lop-sided grin.

“Sorry, did I surprise you?”

It took a lot of effort for Cloud to remind himself that he was unrecognizable right now; Reno didn’t know he was talking to his math class partner, and this was just him probably trying to hit up on, what he thought was, a girl. He forced a meek smile and shook his head, not trusting to use his voice. Speaking in a higher pitch to convince a stranger he was a woman was one thing, but doing the same on someone who actually knew what he sounded like normally was something completely else. His voice didn’t sound different enough to safely try to speak right now and Reno would definitely figure out it was Cloud if he tried. That was the last thing he needed right now.

Reno was completely oblivious.

“Ugh, I can honestly relate though. This ball is dumb. I came for a specific person, you know, but he didn’t even show up.” He shook his head and snorted as if brushing it off. Unable to fight off curiosity, Cloud frowned contemplatively at the statement but flinched when Reno suddenly turned to face him. He held out his arm as the orchestra started a new song. “I might as well enjoy it though since I’m here. Care to dance?”

Cloud tried to shake his head but was cut short as Reno grabbed his hand and dragged him to the ballroom floor before he could reject. Easily, he took him to the center of the crowd and pulled him into a dancing position, his other hand snaking around his waist, and Cloud forced to comply with placing his own hand on Reno’s shoulder due to the momentum almost throwing him off balance.

The blond couldn’t help but make a small noise of surprise, making the redhead chuckle. 

“No need to feel intimidated, I don't bite." He winked. Cloud could only look at him incredulously, a snarky reply bit back and replaced by a scoff. 

"Oh, alright then. Of course." Reno made an exaggerated noise of revelation, "A girl looking like yourself probably never feels intimidated. I could bet you've probably already danced with half the guys here already, huh?"

For a moment, the blond wasn't sure how to reply, torn between just trying to walk away or at least making it clear he couldn't speak. He went for the latter. They were surprisingly staying well in step with the simple waltz, so it was with ease Cloud was able to lift the arm from Reno's shoulder to point to his own throat and make a sideways swiping motion.

He raised his eyebrows. "You can't talk?"

Cloud shook his head in confirmation and couldn't help but smile now that Reno understood. Now he doesn't have to suffer having a conversation. 

"Woah, I've never met a mute girl before! You know, I have a deaf cousin, but she wasn't born like that so she speaks just fine. Wait. Are you deaf at all?"

Cloud shot him a look, partially for the question, but mostly because of the fact that the redhead was still talking. Reno laughed. "Oh, yeah. I guess it's obvious you're not since you've still been reacting to everything I said. Sorry. Dumb question." He admitted, grinning and shrugging nonchalantly.

Without missing a beat, he expertly twirled Cloud with a raise of his arm and chuckled again at the noise of surprise the blond gave. Reno's laughter suddenly died, however, when he suddenly regarded Cloud with a considering expression. 

"You know… you kind of really remind me of someone… Especially that with frown of yours."

Cloud tensed, deliberately softening his own expression into one of slight confusion and curiosity to try to belatedly deter Reno from making the comparison. 

"Are you related to anyone named Cloud Strife? Like a sister or a cousin or something?"

The blond someone managed to tense further, the hand clasped in Reno's for the dance position involuntarily flexing in a subconscious effort to be freed. Nervousness easily made his lips twitch upwards in a strained smile and he let out a haughty breath, shaking his head. 

"Ohh..." The redhead nodded, looking somewhere off in thought. "Well, if you ever run into him here, you could be his doppelganger." He joked. Cloud let out another breath, but now out of relief, and meekly tried smiling along as if the thought was just silly and not dangerously accurate at all. 

"Even though you're really pretty, I don't think no one in this whole school is as pretty as him. I could only think of a few guys beside him and myself that are that attractive, like Zack. But guys like Zack are different; not my type. Cloud, though.. he's perfect. You know I tried hitting him up on the first day of class? But I don't think he liked my sense of humor." Reno snorted as if it was the craziest thing in the world to be rejected as Cloud was, to his horror, subjected to hear this confession. He felt like he was nearly suffocating as he tried his best to not react and get more red than he was already becoming.

"I'd had my fill with girls in high school, so I'm only interested in him right now. No offense." He quickly added at the end, eyeing Cloud with feigned sympathy. "Can I tell you something?"

The blond nearly didn't stop himself from making a choking sound in disbelief; As if Reno was giving him a choice in the matter.

"I think what I like about him the most is just how obvious it is. Like, you can instantly tell he'd make a  _ great _ bottom, if you know what I mean." He purred.

Cloud couldn't take it anymore. 

"Ow!" Reno winced, looking down where his toe was just stabbed with a heel. "What was that for??" 

The blond mustered his best sheepish smile, fighting the urge to grin smugly instead. Reno didn’t seem convinced.

“Uh-huh.” He said, tilting his head to the side. Cloud couldn’t help but actually smile this time, this new-found power actually kinda fun. He took care to step on his shoes again, laughing when Reno grimaced. 

“Ah, I see how it is.” He chuckled, surprisingly finding the antic amusing. At least, that’s the only thing the blond could figure, as he kept dancing with him despite Cloud stepping on him multiple more times for the rest of the song. Reno actually wasn’t that bad right now, especially once he stopped talking, so Cloud was pleasantly surprised when he felt more content rather than relieved when the redhead finally let go of his hand and waist as the song ended. 

“Well, as fun as that was, I think I better go sit down now.” He joked, gesturing toward his scuffed shoes. “I was nice meeting you, though.” 

And as he walked away, not angry in the slightest for his ruined dress shoes, Cloud couldn’t help but feel a bit less reproachful about him. He was still a shameless flirt, sure, but the side of him that continued to make conversation with a girl who couldn’t even talk back and the side of him that let said girl purposely step all over his toes, was actually not that bad. 

That didn’t mean Cloud was going to hold back on making it clear he hated Reno next time he saw him in class though.

The blond found himself now on the other side of the ballroom as he got out of the center and couldn’t help but mutter a curse under his breath. He almost had the blessing of forgetting about ‘Operation Scarlet’, but it reoccurred to him in full force.

He was going to have to talk to Sephiroth.

Cloud glanced at the spot he last saw the celebrity, praying that he hadn’t moved. Thankfully, he hadn’t. But not so thankfully, Scarlet was still only watching with a mild frown as another girl practically ran her hands all over him as they talked. So Cloud still needed to come up with a way to get her super jealous, enough to get her to confront him. How could he manage to do that when every single girl in the room was already either fawning or drooling over him, and  that  _ still _ wasn't enough to get her angry? 

Cloud began weaving through the crowd as he contemplated, pausing short as he saw Zack leaning against a wall not too far away, watching him. Upon making eye contact, the noiret gave an unamused look and raised a single eyebrow, crossing his arms.

Oh fuck.

He had forgotten that a certain someone had been tasked with the job of watching him, and had obviously seen everything.

‘What were you doing dancing with Reno?’ Cloud could almost hear him saying.

‘You think I had much of a choice?’ he thought back, throwing Zack a look of his own and throwing his hands up in tha air, hoping the noiret would somehow understand. He nodded once absently, as if not completely convinced, but otherwise seemed to get the message. Their silent exchange was cut short, however, when Cloud was suddenly being approached by another man asking him to dance. The blond did his best polite smile while vigorously shaking his head, and the man- not being a jerk like Reno- accepted the rejection and left, albeit looking a little upset. Cloud found Zack's gaze again and made a 'See what I mean?!' gesture, which only placated the noiret slightly. When the blond expected him to make a teasing expression or an amused one at his situation, now that he had a better idea why Cloud ended up dancing, his expression instead stayed grim… almost as if-

Cloud shook his head to himself. No, that's silly. Zack wouldn't actually be  _ jealous _ just because he danced with someone else… Right? He shot the the noiret a withering smile as he began to walk off, trying to not pay much attention to the ridiculous thought.   
Wait a minute!

That’s it!

Cloud wasn’t sure whether Zack himself was jealous, an idea he was now shoving to the bottom of his worries, but for sure that would make anyone else jealous. Especially if that person had a crush, or ex-crush, on the other person. As far as the blond was able to tell, Sehiroth hadn’t danced with a single person yet. The man seemed to be more than content, rather forcingly tolerant, of simply staying put as many fans tried to make conversation with him. After all, he would undoubtedly be left with no time to idle alone and would be plenty busy with so many people wanting a chance to speak with him.

But if he somehow got him to dance with him....

Cloud bit his lip, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible as he slowly made his way towards Sephiroth. That might be nearly impossible. He clearly did not have dancing in mind tonight, and, sure enough, he just got close enough to overhear the celebrity politely declining an invitation to dance from another woman. So obviously others have already tried,  _ and _ completely failed. 

Great.

How in the hell was Cloud supposed to accomplish what no one yet could?

Before he could get another moment to think, panic began to rise as the girl who was just rejected a dance stalked away. Sephiroth was alone now; this was his chance! The blond felt himself moving almost on his own accord, more than subconsciously aware that he might not get another opportunity as good as this before another girl steals his attention.

Right as he was about to reach him, a sudden broad figure blocked his view as a man stood in his path.

“Hey cutie, wanna dance?”

Cloud didn’t even look at his face, too busy trying to look around him to find Sephiroth.

“No, thank you.”

He began to walk away, a little annoyed to be interrupted, but was suddenly forced to pivot as a strong hold gripped his wrist.

“Hey, c’mon. Don’t be like that. Just one dance, baby.”

Cloud felt himself involuntarily cringe at the pet name. “Sorry, but I really don’t want to-” He stammered, surprised at the man’s strength as he tried to pull away but only managed to stumble. 

“What? Think you’re too good or something?”

“No, no- I just-”

Cloud managed to yank his arm away and he backed up as the man tried grabbing for him again. He missed and got a fistful of his dress instead, causing the blond to almost trip again, and he was once again practically pinned.

“Hey, don’t be like that.” The man repeated, his tone accusatory as if it was Cloud’s fault for the scene they were starting to draw, some people around them noticing and hushing into low confused murmurs. The blond felt the attention stab his back like needles, and panic started to rise in his chest. 

“Let me go.” He pleaded. At this point, he no longer had to deliberately make his pitch higher, his voice almost squeaking on its own. Cloud did his best to grip his own dress to pull away, soon realizing that using both hands was a bad idea as he had all his balance relying on the man’s opposing force in the opposite direction. As if the universe wanted to prove his observation on the current physics, the fabric in between them suddenly tore and Cloud yelped.

He was falling.

There was a whoosh of air in his ears and Cloud pinched his eyes shut in fear, letting out another noise of surprise when he felt his back hit something a lot softer and warmer than the what floor should’ve been. 

“Wha-?”

Cloud blinked, sucking in his breath and his trying to focus his eyes, and felt his heart practically jump out of his chest. Sephiroth’s face was mere inches from his, hair cascading over his shoulder like a veil of silver.

He didn’t believe what he was seeing.

“Are you alright?” He said softly, almost at a volume Cloud would not have caught if he wasn't so close. The blond could only remain frozen, disbelief coursing through him like a tidal wave. 

Sephiroth had  _ caught _ him. Sephiroth was  _ holding _ him. Sephiroth had asked him a question and all Cloud could only stare back in shock and choke on air. His face felt like it was on complete fire.

“Uh,” He tried, throat feeling dry, “I- I think?”

Sephiroth was leaning back now, bringing the blond back up to stand, but his arms remained around him as he shot an icy glare to the side.

“The young lady has made it clear she doesn’t want to dance with you.” He declared, bringing the growing crowd’s attention to the man who started all of this. Cloud, however, couldn’t stop staring at the celebrity and barely registered in the back of his mind that his assailant was begrudgingly surrendering and was now walking away. It felt like an eternity of slowed time as the blond tried to process everything.

“Oh,” He realized, “Thank you so much, I-”

Cloud couldn’t finish his sentence as Sephiroth turned to face him again, the close proximity and eye contact stilling him once again.

“Your dress…” He pointed out, bring the blond’s attention to the tear.

Cloud wanted to just hide his face and run away. Here he was, in the presence (and with the attention!) of his lifetime idol, and all he could do was look like some god forsaken frozen fish. 

“O-oh, um…” He took a step back to breathe, and it was with both relief and disappointment that Sephiroth let go of his waist, “I-it’s fine, it’s fine! It’s…” Cloud picked up the layer of dress that had a cut running through it meekly. “It’s not that bad-”

“Nonsense. Let me help.”   
“No, no, it's- Ah!”

Cloud didn’t have much time to react before Sephiroth was walking away, heading straight for the doors across the ballroom. In a rush, he grabbed his dress to quickly follow without tripping, but his sudden shakiness was making it difficult to keep his balance on his heels again. It was only a short distance, but Cloud felt out of breath by the time he caught up to Sephiroth’s tall form, which had paused right at the edge of where the dance floor began.

He turned to face him, silver lockes swaying over along his back.

“It appears the fastest way to get to the other side is to follow the wave rather than oppose it.”

Cloud absently nodded, freezing when the meaning of his metaphor actually processed. 

Did he mean-? 

The blond’s heart was jumping out of his chest and even he could tell he was blushing hard enough to be spotted from a mile away as it became clear the 'wave' was the pairs of people dancing, and to follow it rather than oppose it would be to-

Sephiroth offered an elegant gloved hand to him, seemingly ignoring the obvious fluster from the blond, and broke into the slightest smile. Cloud’s breath caught.

“May I have this dance?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rip Zack. He's definitely feeling very alarmed with bi-sexual panic at the moment.   
> Rip Reno's shoes. And rip Cloud's entire existence. I'm pretty sure his soul left his body half-way through already xD   
> Things are about to get veryyyyyy spicyyyyyy soooooon :0000000  
> (Also quick side note, I'm sorry to admit that Cloud's interaction with Reno might be very much implausible, as someone actually mute wouldn't be able to even laugh or 'make a noise of surprise'??? Oh well. Let's just pretend Reno is a little dumb and didn't notice lol)


	10. Dancing With You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “So,” Tifa cut in, playfully bumping into his side, “Unfortunately, you’ve forgotten that you don’t have much of a choice in this.”
> 
> “Oh,” Cloud deadpanned, decidedly extra-salty knowing Zack was right there. “What else is new about tonight?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another 20 paged chapter! (Well almost, it was actually 19 but still xD)   
> I was sooooo surprised how fast I got this done, I usually take forever to write chapters because I'm so busy, but spring break (and corona) is here so I have more time for this! Not to mention, I felt so motivated thanks to your guys' comments! Thank you so much for the encouragement, it helped me push through this a lot! I can't promise the same speed from now on, but I'll try my damn best and I hope to continue to receive your comments and support!  
> I hope you enjoy this chapter!   
> (And another apology in advance for any grammar/spelling errors because I can't stand reading my own work lol, and I always find the mistakes after I post something, I swear xD)

Cloud felt like he was dreaming.

Sephiroth was holding his waist and hand, gently leading him through the dance floor in twirls and side steps. He somehow managed to make the basic ball dance appear more graceful, and feel even more easier than it already was as Cloud was effortlessly pulled along. It was a good thing too, because the blond’s brain was currently not working quite well at the moment and would definitely not be able to handle any complicated stepping. 

All he could hear was his heart pounding in his ears, but it felt like it was soaring as much as it was frantic. Cloud was used to anxiety and nervousness, sure, but there was an undeniable amount of thrill coursing through him as his idol danced with him. Despite his over-self-embarrassment, Cloud’s eyes couldn’t leave Sephiroth’s, and he was even able to breath out of a laugh after being twirled.

It all felt too amazing to be true.

Sephiroth was in front of him, in the flesh, in a tall dark suit and with his silver hair cascading down around them. From the proximity, Cloud became vaguely aware of the scent of cologne on him that smelled similar to the ocean, yet it somehow wasn’t salty. Senses pleasantly overwhelmed, the blond’s mind would’ve completely drifted off taking in everything as it was, but he was pulled from his stupor as he noticed Sephiroth’s lips begin to move. 

“Coincidentally, this is the first piece I’ve heard tonight that I've performed myself.” Sephiroth casually commented, looking to the side for a moment towards the orchestra.

“You- you play violin?” Cloud stammered, shocked to be spoken to still and even more shocked to learn this new factoid. He wasn't terribly familiar with classical music, being only a percussionist, but knew a decent deal from his adolescent piano phase. For the first time, he calmed himself down enough to actually take a moment to listen to the music. Only the violins were playing, and it was in unison as opposed to an ensemble, and a reminiscent high chord hit.

“Bach?” He tried, curiosity the only reason he wasn't a complete inarticulate mess.

“Yes, you’re right. I had violin lessons as a child, and this is one of my favorite pieces from him. I’m impressed they’re playing it now as a waltz.” Sephiroth’s blank angelic expression gave way to a small smile of mirth. “Do you know its name?”

Cloud blinked, and was surprised to find himself able to compose his mind enough to contemplate for a moment instead of out-right panicking.

“I think…” He started, tilting his head to one side in an attempt to hear better, “I think it’s one of the violin Partitas…”

Sephiroth nodded, and Cloud continued trying with the new-found encouragement. He had an idea which piece it was, but it was being played slightly differently, and it sounded a bit unusual with more than one violin player, which the original was composed for, but...

“Is it Chaconne?”

Sephiroth smiled, and for a frozen moment Cloud felt the proudest of himself he’s ever been. “That’s right…” For the first time, the blond heard a different tone from the celebrity as opposed to his usual pleasantly nonchalant one. It was now laced with slight disbelief, as if moved, and he now shifted in such a way that somehow made him suddenly look so much more open. 

“Bach’s Violin Partita No.2 in D minor, Chaconne… My mother would play it for me as well. It’s quite easily one of the most beautiful pieces I’ve ever heard.”

As if on cue, the violins swelled through a particular melody that had Cloud nodding in agreeance.

“I’m surprised I remembered its name,” He admitted, half laughing. “I haven’t studied classical music for some time.”

“Oh? Well, what is it that you study now?”   
Cloud almost stilled at the direct question, but waved his hand in front of his face dismissively. “Nothing crazy. I’m trying to major in architecture and minor in psychology right now, but I’m barely a freshman so…” He trailed off, shrugging and trying to not feel like he gave such a boring answer.

“I see. Psychology is a very commendable minor to have, no matter what your major is, in my opinion. I majored in the science, and I find it very beneficial to have the general knowledge of how people think and behave.” He noted. “How are you enjoying the introductory class?”

Cloud had to push himself to not take forever to process everything, despite each word coming from Sephiroth’s mouth easily being a shock. He majored in psychology? Cloud figured it would kind of make sense to not major in anything music or industry related, as he was obviously more than successful in those fields, but it still was a bit jarring to find that they surprisingly had something in common.

“Ah, I haven’t learned much in these first weeks unfortunately. Our original professor has been out for some reason, and the substitute we’ve had since is taking a long time to go through basic vocabulary and the scientific method and such.”

Sephiroth made a slight face, as if he was about to say something, but for some reason chose against it and instead only nodded in acknowledgement.

“Well,” He started, “I hope you find the subject very likable and useful.” He paused, physically, and it took Cloud a moment to realize that they were now on the other side of the room. Whether because of the subconscious disappointment to no longer be dancing or from being overall tense the past few minutes, Cloud nearly sagged as Sephiroth let go of him.

“Thank you.” He said, trying to not let Sephiroth see his crestfallen mood. “I’m sure I’ll enjoy the class once it really gets going.”

Sephiroth replied with a small smile that made Cloud’s heart jump, before he turned to begin walking towards the doors, still leading him with a gentle hand on his back. The blond easily took to following him for a few moments, before it finally dawned on him that they were going outside, and that he had no idea where he was being led to begin with. 

“Uhm, I’m sorry but…” Cloud quickly glanced behind his shoulder as they walked out to the foyer, leaving the noise of the ballroom behind. “Where are we going?”

Sephiroth spared a second to regard him apologetically. “Ah, my apologies for not explaining sooner. I have a sewing kit in my car. It shouldn't take long to quickly put together a tear like that.” He paused for a moment to retrieve his car keys from the receptionist, and began to walk a few paces ahead of the blonde, who eagerly followed behind.

“Oh…” Cloud said, trying not to think too hard and to act casual. His mind couldn’t stop from jumping at the idea though. To think that he would ever get a chance to personally speak to his idol  _ and _ to see his car! 

“I really appreciate your help with all of this. You really didn’t have to-”   
“Please, don’t worry about it. I’m glad to be of assistance, and, besides, I must confess I was becoming a bit worn from just conversing with fans, albeit my gratitude towards them.”

“Ah,” Cloud nodded, hugging himself as they got to the main doors that led outside. It somehow wasn’t as cold as before, the wind having subsided, but it was still a bit chilly for a fall night. The blond subconsciously noted how well lit it was outside, taking care to remember that his own Mako eyes would glow through the contacts otherwise.

“That’s good to know, because.. I hate to admit this, but, I was going to be the same. A fan trying to talk to you, that is.” He clarified, unable to help but be honest despite the risk for repercussion. “I’m sorry.” He added, looking to the ground. He couldn’t even begin to imagine how hard it was to socially navigate being a celebrity, and he could only feel guilty knowing that he was just another person trying to talk to him for their own benefit. Because of the interest they held as a celebrity, not as a person. It was even worse considering Cloud was even using him to make Scarlet jealous, but the idol’s reaction to the blond’s confession was surprisingly indifferent. 

“You don’t have to apologize.” He soothed. “Besides, I could tell, so there’s no unintentional deceit on your end to be guilty of.”

Cloud looked up, surprised, and took advantage of Sephiroth’s back to him as they walked to unabashedly cover his face. “Oh no… Was I really that obvious?” He looked over his hands hesitantly, only to flush further to see that Sephiroth was now looking back at him. His expression was filled with almost mischievous mirth, and he regarded the blond for a second longer than necessary.

“A little.” He conceded, thankfully turning back around. Cloud could only repress a light whine of embarrassment within his hands, his face feeling on fire. No fricken wonder it was obvious, he was practically a stuttering mess of a tomato the entire time. 

Sephiroth was nice enough to pay the sound no mind, and only continued towards the parking lot, which was on the side of the event center and not too far from the courtyard. There weren’t a lot of cars there, as most of the students came from the dorms right across, so Sephiroth’s car was right at the front. Cloud wasn't very knowledgeable in automobiles, but even he could tell that the sleek black car in front of him was an expensive sport’s brand. The doors opened up like wings of a bird when Sephiroth got the sewing kit from the back passenger’s seat, and he stood to the side gestured towards it.

“Can you please sit down here for a moment.”

“A-are you sure? I...” 

“Go ahead, I promise it won’t take long.”

Cloud wanted to shake his head but resisted. However long it took was  _ not _ the problem; it was the fact that he was just invited to sit in  _ Sephiroth’s car _ . Instead, he offered a meek smile when he finally moved to comply, sitting on the edge of the leather seat facing outwards. His gown flared out almost perfectly spherically by the action, only bunching up a bit in the front.

“The parking lamp here should have enough light.” Sephiroth commented, already putting an edge of thread in his mouth and putting it through a needle’s loop. Cloud could only watch on with barely self-constraint control to not forever hide his face or let any sign show that his fanboying was reaching an embarrassing height. Despite this, he was unable to help the slight hitch of breath as Sephiroth casually got on one knee to get better access to the tear, nonchalantly reaching over with his elbows on Cloud’s knees to compensate for the sheer volume of the dress. Despite the layers upon layers of fabric separating the contact, the sight and idea of his idol practically perching on his lap like it was a table was enough to have Cloud blushing again. 

He was so mind bent with the reality of his situation that he barely comprehend when, within seconds, Sephiroth finished and stood up, dusting off his hands. “There you go. How does it look?”

Cloud blinked a few times before gripping the layer of dress, flipping it over and back. 

“Wow… I can’t even tell there was a tear here.”

Sephiroth smiled in approval and graciously offered a hand to get Cloud standing out of that sea of dress, which the blond accepted thankfully. 

“How are you so damn talented.” He muttered to himself under his breath, but Sephiroth shot him an amused look as he finished closing and locking his car.

“What was that?”

“Nothing!” Cloud blurted, covering his mouth with his hands. He knew it was pointless though, as the man clearly heard it, and tried to play it off by awkwardly looking away and brushing a long strand of hair behind his ear, suddenly feeling hot in the chilly night. Sephiroth’s amused expression suddenly faltered at this though, catching the motion and following the flowers wrapped on his wrist with his eyes.

“Oh, you’re corsage is an interesting color considering your dress… was that intentional on your date’s part?” He abruptly asked, taking an extra moment to look at it scrutinizingly. The clear distaste in his tone made Cloud suddenly put his hands behind his back in embarrassment, choking out a forced laugh. 

“Well he’s not really my date, we’re just roomma- I mean, friends…” He started. For some reason he felt the need to clarify it, but instantly regretted it as his heart almost dropped at that misstep of revealing the roommate part. “He’s Makoean,” He rushed, hoping to catch Sephiroth’s attention so that he won’t dwell on the previous stutter. “And we both wanted to have every single color from each other matching, including eyes so…” He lied, shrugging.

At this, the idol raised his eyebrows, thankfully very intrigued by the Makoean part. It was quickly replaced with the previous cold expression, however. 

“Well, I shan’t keep your date waiting for you. Let us quickly return.”

“He’s not…” Cloud trailed off, visibly drooping as Sephiroth began to already walk away. 

Well then.

Though, he did suppose he was more than lucky as it was to have so much time with his idol, so, despite the slight disappointment, Cloud couldn’t really find it in himself to complain. He couldn’t hold it against the celebrity if he assumed the worst of Cloud in that he was such a die-hard fan to the point of being unloyal to his relationship- which didn’t actually exist- because the man surely got enough of those people to be sick of them. And he was such a sought out bachelor that the blond could understand if he assumed every girl trying to talk to him was after his hand and willing to throw their current boyfriends to the dogs. At least, he’d see enough of that happening in celebrity-reality-dramas to figure that it happened to Sephiroth himself more than a few times. And now his idol thought he was one of  _ those girls _ . 

Oh well.

As much as he wanted to fix the assumption, Cloud couldn’t bring himself to bother Sephiroth with it. What would he ultimately care about it for anyway? It’s not like Cloud was one in millions of interactions like this; in fact, he probably would forget about the blond by tomorrow. Cloud was honestly just immensely grateful for the experience, and was more than content, albeit a little sad, when they walked back into the event center, where he knew they would now part ways. Before he could say his quick good-bye and last thank you however, they were instantly met by Rufus as they entered the ballroom.

“Sephiroth!” The headmaster grinned, holding up his champagne glass, which was actually sprite, in acknowledgement. “I was just about to go looking for you!”

“Rufus.” Sephiroth evenly returned, though breaking into an easy smile nonetheless.

“Sephiroth, when I saw you dance for the first time tonight and then leave with a pretty lady in your arms, I was afraid you were leaving the ball early!” He joked, laughing good-naturedly. Cloud looked between the two of them with raised eyebrows, shocked to see such laid-back and friendly sides from the both of them, before what Rufus implied fully processed and had the blond uncontrollably flushing. 

“Rufus,” Sephiroth chided, “You know I would never simply go home with a girl after one dance.” 

“Ah, my apologies young lady,” Rufus turned, acknowledging Cloud, “I meant no harm in insinuating such things. After all,” He chuckled again, looking at his friend. “I would hope you wouldn’t indulge in such behaviors, being as everyone here is a potential future student. That would be very problematic.”

Even Sephiroth broke into a light chuckle at that, but Cloud was too shocked to properly appreciate it. “Future student?” He questioned, suddenly alarmed. 

“Did he not mention it to you yet? You two were chatting for an awful long time, I assumed you knew by now.”

“Um,” Cloud hesitated, the question on his lips. Sephiroth thankfully cut in before he needed to ask it, though.

“I was about to tell you, but refrained as  _ I _ wasn't made aware that this was already deemed official for public information.” He explained, shooting Rufus a quick accusing glare. “As I’ve told you, I majored in psychology here, and I’m actually planning to get my PhD in the field this semester as a student again. I can’t do tours or make albums or act, so Rufus has been very kind to offer me a job as a professor for the introductory class. I really don’t need the money, but the experience will serve very useful for some… future plans, that I have, as well as being the least I could do to repay the school for making exceptions for me the first time I studied here. Many people do not even know I’ve attended college, and this was all thanks to Midgar allowing me to continue working with my fluctuating schedule and by giving me special online tools and fluid deadlines to graduate on time with everyone else. I’m not doing the same thing though this time, as I would like a break from my usual routine, and a PhD certainly requires more dedication.”

Rufus was nodding along contemplatively, taking a sip of sprite before speaking. “Well said my friend.” He smiled kindly to Cloud. “I can assure you that, as a student here, Sephiroth is more than qualified to teach such a class. And, as it is, you’ll only be having him if you’re a freshman majoring or minoring in psychology.”

“Oh, I am, actually.” Cloud admitted, feeling his heart start up again in panic. He was actually going to have Sephiroth as a professor?

“Does that have something to do with the original professor being out?” He couldn’t help but ask, still very disbelieving of the whole thing.

Rufus shook his head. “Ah, Mr. Burnwood has been out due to unrelated reasons, unfortunately. You met him at orientation, yes? The substitute we’ve had in place was originally going to take his role permanently, but with Sephiroth being more suitable and applying again recently, I believe it’ll be better. Mr. Burnwood should be back by next year, however, so this temporary job works perfectly for all parties involved. Though, you are always free to come to me if you have any digressions Miss…?”

“Clou-Claudia.” He stammered, suddenly hyper aware of how Sephiroth was watching him intently at being asked for his name. Because dammit, he was going to start seeing him twice a week now! He vaguely recalled how there would be no real ‘Claudia’ in his class, but for now shook the worry for another time.

“Miss Claudia,” Rufus smiled, and for a split second Cloud dreadfully understood why girls were constantly swooning over him. At least, he definitely stood out with his blazing orange hair and crisp white suit.

“Uhm,” He started, turning to face Sephiroth. “Thank you so much again for your help before, and..” He turned to Rufus, “I appreciate getting to talk to both of you.” He hastily curtsied with lack of a better closing and made off before his resolve about it could break, mind whirring.

“I’ll see you in class then.” Sephiroth called, and Cloud quickly made towards a crowd to hide in and to get rid of the feeling that both men were watching him as he left.

This was absolutely fuck-tastic!

Up until now, psychology class had been very lackluster, the substitute a plain man that was forgettable in every single way. But now  _ Sephiroth _ was replacing him, and Cloud would continue to see him, except as his  _ real _ self. There would be no Claudia on his roster, and there would be no established acquaintanceship or previous favor of sewing up a dress tear. The blond would be a stranger to him again.

It was probably a good thing.

Cloud shakily made his way along the tables again, side-stepping chatting groups, and found his revered spot with strawberries again. Despite not having danced for the last half-hour, he felt just as breathless anyways, and was going to need another strawberry-eating-break. There was significantly less of the fruit than the last time he was there, but more than enough for him to sate himself over. He plucked one and this time took the effort to put it under the chocolate fountain, breathing out in bliss as he had a bite.

Now, finally out of the presence of his idol, he could begin to notice the vague stinging pain on his ankles, his feet becoming tender from the heels, along with a wave of exhaustion hitting him.

And he still had ‘Operation Scarlet’ to complete.

Socializing to this caliber was bound to make him tired, but there was something about the roller coaster events of being cross dressed and meeting his idol that had him equally drained as well as hyped up. On a better note, the night had been more filled with thrill and surprise rather than the pure anxiety that Cloud was expecting, so that was a plus. God, was he gonna knock out right after this, though.

Now for the hard part.

He regretfully took what would have to be his last strawberry of the night and began to steel himself for jumping in the deep end of the pool again, when he involuntarily jumped as a figure besides him that he hadn’t noticed before forcefully coughed and made his presence known. Cloud squeaked in surprise and was about to give a cold-glare to who he dreadfully assumed was Reno again, when instead he raised his eyebrows in surprise to see... Zack.

“Wow, you must be having a great time.” He teased, looking pleased to have scared the blond. There was something off-putting about his grin though, and the usual warmth and friendliness was completely absent. The stark and immediate difference had Cloud’s hair bristling.

“What’re you scaring me for?” Cloud accused, trying to pretend he wasn’t as off-putted as he actually was.

Zack’s pupils were constricted into cat-like slits.

“What? Were you expecting someone else? Oh, let me guess, there’s  _ another _ guy you need to dance with before you talk to Scarlet, right?” He laughed, as if jesting, but Cloud could only make a face.

“What do you mean- I didn’t have much of a choice with any of them-”

“Sureee.” He titled his head, looking amused, “Like damn, Cloud. You don’t have to pretend to be a shy introvert anymore. You can admit to me that you like the attention, you know. I won’t judge.”

“Wha- Why would you think that?!” Cloud gasped, feeling as if he was scalded.

“Sheesh, no need to get defensive. I told you I won’t judge.” He shrugged, his smile falling into a strange expression that matched his atmosphere better. 

“Those were all accidents, Zack! I didn’t mean to dance with anyone-”

“Or walk outside with Sephiroth doing who-knows-what for half an hour? Yeah, sure. A complete accident.”

“My dress was torn and he sewed it for me!” Cloud snapped, gesturing to the spot on his dress. “Did you not see when I was harassed to the point of property damage?!”

Zack just gave a hollow chuckle and rolled his eyes. “Is that what it was? Because it actually looked like a damsel crying in distress for a prince to show up if you ask me.” He raised an accusing eyebrow, crossing his arms.

“You really think that-? I…” Cloud felt uncontrollable tears suddenly prick his eyes, his heart dropping. 

His throat felt dry and his face was burning for an entirely different reason for once, and for a moment it felt impossible to breathe. Zack didn’t notice. He was now looking to the side and gesturing dismissively.

“It’s nothing to be ashamed of really. In fact, I’m proud that my date is getting ‘herself’ out there.” He laughed and glanced at him tauntingly, condescending.

”Does hiding your real face by dressing like a girl boost your confidence, or something? You enjoy making all these guys drool after you?” He asked, the words dripping from his lips like acid.

Cloud wanted to cry.

Heck, he kind of already was, but the tears refused to fall, for better or for worse, and he was able to school his expression into a grim line. If Zack really wanted to be like that, then- 

“Fine.” Cloud quickly grabbed the bulk of flowers from the corsage and crumpled them while pulling them out, throwing them on the floor at Zack’s feet. 

“Think whatever the hell you want.”

He quickly turned around, refusing to look at him another second, and made towards the other end of the ballroom to get as far away as possible. His hands were shaking, his balance was wavering, and Cloud felt as if something stuck in his throat was keeping him from breathing.

It took five seconds to leave Zack’s view within the crowd, ten to be far away enough to lose complete visibility, fifteen to find a decently isolated corner, and twenty for the first tear to finally fall.

It was to his utter horror that Cloud belatedly realized that he was crying. A few tears were already travelling down his jawline or dripping onto his dress, each one leaving a burning trail, and it was all because of Zack. 

“Fucking jerk.” He sniffed, finding a trashcan and violently pulling at the ribbon around his wrist. Even now Zack was taunting him, the corsage tied too fucken well for Cloud to get the whole thing off. He couldn’t find the knot, as it was laced through a few fingers as well, and he was considering throwing his whole glove away to get the cursed thing off. “Absolute inconsiderate, thoughtless, presumptuous, insensitive, fucking jerk!” He cursed under his breath, tugging with each syllable.

“Woah there. Need some help?” 

Cloud pivoted, the anger in him draining instantly from being caught by someone, and was greeted to another fuck-tastic surprise: Scarlet.

She had the audacity to appear sympathetic. 

“Uh,” He paused, attempting to straighten up and look a bit dignified. “No, I”m fine- I”

A tear betrayed him and fell down his cheek, which was enough to make him crumble again. He looked away to wipe his eyes. “Actually, yes…” He conceded, giving Scarlet his abused wrist trapped in lace ribbon. “I- I can’t get it off…”

Her eyebrows were raised in mild interest, but she only regarded his situation for a moment before decidedly putting her wine glass down on the nearby table and taking his hand. 

“So I’m going to guess that this is coming off because of a man’s fault, and not because of the color?” She casually inquired, spotting some of the traces of blue petal stuck on the corsage. 

“Color’s fine, it was supposed to match his Mako eyes,” He groused half-heartedly.

Scarlet slightly scowled at the comment, but otherwise continued to help him untie it.

“So Sephiroth broke your heart too already, or something?” She asked, but this time it was cold.

Suddenly understanding what she just assumed, Cloud’s eyes widened and he shook his head. “Oh, no, no. This wasn’t about him at all!” He assured hastistedly, remembering the mission. There was no more need to get her bothered or jealous when she was already right here talking to him. “Meeting Sephiroth was fine. It was my date’s, well- the person I came with… it was his corsage. He’s also Makoean, as it happens.”

“Hm,” She nodded, her expression thawing a bit. “Small world. I’ve never known a Makoean besides Sephiroth.”

Cloud raised his eyebrows, making use of her disclosure.

“You said… that he had broken your heart?” He tried, wiping his face for -hopefully- the last time and holding his breath when she didn’t answer right away. She continued dutifully undoing the knot, not sparing a glance up.

“Well, he was my freshmen crush.” She finally said, “We had the same minor, so I had him for a lecture-hall, and, even though he wasn’t there much in person, I thought we got close.”

Scarlet paused, scowling at a particular knot her long nails were giving her a hard time with, but continued nonetheless. 

“But I guess not. I mean, he was pretty cold about ignoring me and rejecting me in front of the entire class. I think most of how he treated me was because he assumed I was some attention-seeking whore.” 

She said it so flippantly that Cloud had to repress a shudder, the last sentence sounding vaguely reminiscent of his own current hurt at the moment.

“Why would he just assume that?” He perplexed. Scarlet shrugged, untwisting the ribbon around his fingers. “Have too much confidence and authority with men and that’s what everyone will think. Women too. In fact, they probably believe those things the most.”

“Wha-” Cloud didn’t get it, but stopped himself from asking such a question that should’ve been obvious to him at the moment since he was pretending to be a girl. “Uh, thank you.” He said instead, the ribbon of the corsage done away with. Scarlet rolled it into a ball and gave it to Cloud.

“Here, you can have the honors of throwing it away.”

“With pleasure.” He breathed, tossing it in the trash can with relief.

“I’m sorry about what happened, by the way.” He added, now being watched as she no longer was giving a piece of lace all of her attention.

“It’s fine, it’s how things work.” She smiled grimly, and took a swig of fruit punch from the wine glass as if it was alcohol.

“But, I mean.. It doesn’t have to be, right? Like, wouldn’t it be better if girls- if  _ we _ ” He amended, remembering his circumstance, “stood up for each other? Instead of tearing eachother down and stuff?”

Scarlet actually barked out a laugh, covering her mouth with her long acrylic nails. “Well, of course it would be better, love! It’s what we all secretly wish for, I’m sure!” She shook her head amusedly, “But it doesn’t work that way.” She repeated, the disheartening words holding no bitterness or regret, but only acceptance. 

“Besides,” Scarlet lamented, “The type of woman that tears another woman down isn’t the type to worry about. They’re reign won’t last forever.” 

Cloud perked up at this, finding this information a good interrogation point. Now to somehow bring up her hypocrisy….

“Wait, you’re Scarlet, right? The Anthropology Elite?”

She nodded while taking a sip. “What of it?”

“Um.. I don’t mean to accuse you of anything but…” He tried not to flinch under her gaze, which instantly grew suspicious at the introduction of his question. “I think I overheard you talking bad about this one girl…” he lied, hoping that it was plausible enough for her to have spoken about Tifa outside of class. “I think her name was… um, Tiffany. Or Tifa, or something…?”

Scarlet continued to glare at him for a moment, and for a split second Cloud was worried if he just ruined everything he’d work so hard for. But then her eyes slightly widened in realization.

“Oh! Tifa Lockhart, her?” She asked, as if she honestly had no clue what he was talking about at first. Though maybe she somehow really didn’t.

“Yeah,” Cloud confirmed, trying to sound nonchalant. Tifa was some stranger, not his best friend, or anything like that; that’s what Scarlet had to believe.

“Ah, that one. I remember now.” She looked up, as if recalling a memory. “I wasn’t actively trying to tear her down, why! I don’t even know the girl!” She laughed again, and Cloud had to repress the urge to show any offense or alarm.

“Then how come you were saying such things?” He asked, putting nothing but curiosity in his tone. 

“For reputation, love.” She answered, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Thankfully, she elaborated after another sip of punch.

“Her name was getting brought up by peers and professors alike, and she was a threat to my status as an elite in anthropology.” 

Scarlet was swirling the liquid in her glass thoughtfully, as if bored with the subject at hand.

“Not only was she getting the professors’ attention with her grades, but also the students’ with her looks, and I just needed to simply quell the adoration so that they don’t think to begin comparing us, that’s all. I only did what I needed to maintain my own image, nothing more, nothing less.”

Cloud tried not to visibly choke. “Isn’t that a bit… Oh, I dunno.. Unfair to her?”

“Oh, why, it’s nothing lasting. It’s just for the time being while I’m still a senior here.” She exasperatedly shook her head and took another swig.

“Listen, love, once you crawl your way up and gain any ground in this world, it’s your job to keep it. Give a single inch and everyone will run you over so fast that you’ll be at the bottom again before you can blink. I know my popularity is superficial, I know most of my friends are thought-less followers, and I know my social standing isn’t secured forever. That’s the point. Trying to hold on forever is a fool’s wish, and you need to know when it’s your prime to do so or not.” She gestured with her hand facetiously, gold bangles chiming together from the motion.

“This Tifa girl will be more than fine, if anything I’ve already heard about her is close to true. Everyone will forget anything  _ I _ said about her once I’ve graduated, and anyone who’s still around that believed me will still end up growing to like her. In fact, they might outright talk shit about me once I’m gone, which is fine, because I won’t be there anymore. My prime will be over, and it’ll be up to her whether she’ll really replace me or not. That’s how it works.”

She looked at Cloud now and put a hand on her hip commandingly.

“There are constructed hierarchies that you either choose to ignore or you choose to climb. Once you’ve noticed it though, you shouldn’t pretend you never saw it, or once you’ve been placed by others on it -like Tifa has- for better or worse, you have no choice but to climb. Otherwise, you’ll be worse off than being oblivious. Others put Tifa up there behind me, so I just had to revise their judgement and put her down a few pegs, that’s all. Besides, like I said...” Scarlet paused, genuinely smiling now. “She has no reason to worry about another woman who’s putting her down. My reign isn’t going to last forever.” 

She sighed contentedly, as if the idea was already an old memory. “Well,” She finished, looking at her empty glass disappointingly, “Whether or not that makes sense to you, just know that nothing really matters at the end anyways.” 

“That’s dark.”

Scarlet just laughed, off-handedly bringing up a handkerchief out of nowhere. “But that includes whatever happened with your date tonight.” She added, offering the cloth for Cloud to wipe his face.

“Oh, no,” Cloud moaned, remembering. “Did I mess up the makeup?”

Scarlet shook her head. “It looks fine, love. You just have a little smudge under your cheek.”

“Thank you…” He breathed, taking the handkerchief.

Scarlet was surprisingly way more kind than Cloud would have guessed, and even now she watched him in a considerate manner rather than in a pitiful one. He barely understood her thought process on her reasons for talking behind Tifa’s back, and -hell- he more than disagreed with those world views, but even so, there was a clear  _ lack _ of ill-intent and harm. Instead, her thoughts had an air of maturity and acceptance, albeit pessimistic, that Cloud could still appreciate and respect without agreeing with, and he was pleasantly surprised to find her perspective insightful. 

He handed back the cloth gratefully. 

“Still,” She began, putting it away in some hidden dress pocket, “I hope you figure out your man troubles soon. It would be a shame to not work it out before the end of tonight, a ball of all things.”

Cloud nodded, still soaking everything up but understanding that he got all the information he needed, surprisingly. “Thanks… um, I know you hate men and all, but I hope you work out whatever you have with them too.”

Scarlet clicked her tongue and laughed, looking over her shoulder to remain eye-contact while beginning to partially turn around. “Oh, no, love. That’s a whole other story.” She laughed again and shook her head. “I appreciate the gesture though. Now, if you excuse me, I got more fruit punch to serve myself and spike.” She called, already walking away and throwing a hand up in casual parting. 

Cloud stood there, holding his sore wrist to his chest, cheeks dried, feeling completely impressed. Impressed with Scarlet for not being how he expected her to be, impressed with himself for actually completing the operation, and, most of all, impressed to find that he should most definitely  _ not _ trust the punch here anymore. 

He breathed deeply, feeling his will power and determination extinguish with each passing second. He finished. He came here to do what he had to do. 

Cloud began to walk back towards the entrance, the distance being the whole room across, meekly in an attempt to go home early and sleep. Tifa can hear about his findings tomorrow, or later, or something. The recent memories of his argument with Zack flashed in his mind like a bad dream, and Cloud slightly cringed remembering that it actually happened, and that he’d have to deal with it sometime. After all, how long could they avoid the confrontation being roommates, for God’s sake. 

Ugh, he really didn’t want to think about it right now.

He wanted nothing more than to go to sleep.

Cloud weaved himself through the groups, staying on the edge like usual but keeping an eye out for Zack or Reno to not bump into them. The ballroom was surprisingly more full than when it started, despite the now late hour, and it was with both relief and regret Cloud found it easy to get lost within the sea of suits and dresses.

“Hey, you!” A cheerful voice chirped, and the blond couldn’t help but grimace from getting snuck up on  _ again _ .

“Ohh, hi Tifa.” He turned around, offering his most casual smile. She looked at him happily, but Cloud could see through her forced casualness. 

“You okay?” 

“I’m fine.” He replied, trying to not flinch when her eyes obviously went to his wrist and noted the missing corsage. She didn’t say anything about it.

“So, how did ‘Operation Scarlet’ go?” She asked instead, tone overly light.

“Tifa…” He sighed, “You don’t have to pretend that nothing’s wrong when it is, and you don’t have to pretend that you’re not dying to know what Scarlet said.” He stated dryly.

“Aha! So you’re  _ not _ fine!” She pointed out, ignoring the rest of what he said. 

“That wasn’t my point-”

“Cloud,” She started, now looking concerned and stepping closer to keep her voice low. “Is everything okay with you and Zack?” She asked tentatively.

“What? Did he tell you anything?”

Tifa looked at the side consideringly, “No, not really. I mean, he was pretty upset about something, but he wouldn’t tell Aerith and me anything specific.”

“Was he really?” Cloud couldn’t help but ask, raising his eyebrows.

Tifa made a questioning face, and already the blond could tell that she didn’t know why Cloud was assuming that Zack  _ wouldn’t _ be upset. After all, she wasn’t there to see him laugh and grin about the whole thing the entire time. “Nevermind,” He rushed before she could reply, “Where’s Aerith, anyway?”

“Oh, they’re dancing together right now, but I think it’s for advice.”

“Advice?”

“Well, come and look at them.” She exasperated, pulling his arm to the edge of the sidelines to see where the pairs were dancing. In less than a few seconds, Cloud was able to spot the duo, and, sure enough, their expressions looked grim and they were speaking to each other in a way that looked serious. “About what though?”

“You, I think.” Tifa stated bluntly. “Look, I know you probably won’t want to tell me what happened either,  _ yet _ , but I’m not making it up when Zack came back to us very distraught.”

Cloud scoffed and shook his head. “I find that hard to believe.”

Tifa regarded him pensively for a moment, but brushed his comment off and just sighed. “Were you planning on going home already?”

“You know me so well.”

“Unfortunately.” She lamented, laughing when he made a face. 

“Oh, so unfortunate for you then.” He groused, but it was difficult to take himself seriously and he ended up laughing right along with her. “There you go! I knew you had some energy left!” She cheered, making him fondly roll his eyes.

“Not enough, honestly. I’m still going home.”   
“Nope. No you’re not.” She grinned, keeping a firm grip on his arm. Meanwhile the orchestra finished the song, and the pairs on the dance floor began to return to the sides. Cloud tugged on his arm to get loose, the joke over, but her steel hold remained. He was stuck.

“Tifa, no.” He warned, already seeing the mischievous glow in her eyes. She promptly ignored him and instead called out and waved. “Aerith! Over here!”

Triple fuck-tastic.

“Do you hate me?” He baffled, refusing to watch as Aerith, and undoubtedly Zack, approached them. 

“Nope. The opposite, actually.”

“If you don’t let me go, I don’t think I can say the same for you.”

“Pish posh, I don’t believe a word from you.”

“Tifa-”

“Cloud!” Aerith greeted, wrapping him in a warm hug. “Hey, Aerith…” He meekly returned, decidedly not sparing a glance to the tall figure behind her on the right, which he knew was Zack.

“How are things going for you?” She asked, pulling back to face him but keeping her hands on his shoulders.

“Pretty shitty to be honest, but I'm ready to leave and sleep now.”

“Oh Cloud, you can’t leave now! The ball is nearly over already! You should stay for the last song-”

“Noooooo, thank you.” He chokingly laughed, trying to not let the strain of overly-focusing on her face show. Ignore the figure to her right. 

Ignore him, ignore him, ignore him.

“So,” Tifa cut in, playfully bumping into his side, “Unfortunately, you’ve forgotten that you don’t have much of a choice in this.”

“Oh,” Cloud deadpanned, decidedly extra-salty knowing Zack was right there. “What else is new about tonight?”

“Please stop being so melodramatic,” Tifa complained, pinching his shoulder. “You came all this way, just stay a little longer.”

Cloud gave her his best withering look, but her will didn’t crumble.

“One more song.” Aerith tried, using the friendlier method of negotiation.

“There’s probably only time for one last song anyway.” Tifa pointed out, “And, not to mention-”

She paused as a tall man approached her. “Oh, hello again.” She greeted, turning to face and smile at him. The interaction with the strange man instantly caught Cloud’s attention, as they seemed plenty familiar despite the blond having never seen them together before. 

The man wore a dark red suit that somehow contrasted nicely with his dark black shoes, tie, and medium-length hair. When he spoke it was quiet, but in a serene and resolute way rather than timid.

“I hope I’m not pushing my luck, but is it alright if I have this last dance with you?”

Tifa waved the air dismissively. “Of course it is! Thank you for asking,” She smiled, and let him lead her to the dance floor, only pausing to shoot Cloud with her most commanding glare.

She still wasn’t going to let him off the hook.

“Aerith,” He tried, turning towards her. “Will you cover for me if I try leaving now?”

“Sorry Cloud… No can do.” She smiled, giving the blond a slight look of pity, but nothing more. 

She wasn’t going to yield either.

“Well, I’m not going to just stand here though. I’m off to find someone to have this dance with, if you excuse me.” She started, evilling ignoring the look of betrayal Cloud gave her. “You can’t just go-?” He stammered, unsure of how to not obviously imply that he didn’t want to be left alone with the Zack. 

“Yes I can, actually,” She said, smiling at him apologetically. “Besides,” She took a step back and brought Zack up by the arm rather forcefully, pushing him forward in a way that forced the blond to finally acknowledge him.

“Your ‘date’ here has something he would like to say.” 

She shot Cloud a last look of encouragement and exchanged a scornful one with Zack before waving at them both and departing, easily disappearing within the crowd; Leaving them alone. 

Oh, how nothing could get worse-

“Ahem,” Zack started, getting Cloud’s attention. He was shifting from one foot to the other, and he looked to the side as if unable to bare eye contact. Cloud waited, and, as the orchestra once again swelled with life in the beginning of a final waltz, Zack hesitantly offered his arm. 

“Would you do me the honors of giving me this dance?”

The blond regarded his hand apprehensively.

“Why should I?” He bit back.

Zack visibly flinched, but when Cloud looked up and met his gaze, the noiret was returning it with clear resolution.

“Because there are a lot of things I need to tell you. Things I need to fix.”

They leveled with one another for a moment, and despite everything in Cloud’s mind screaming at him to run, the blond slowly put his hand in Zack’s.

“Fine.”

Zack broke a smile, alibet a nervous one.

“Thank you.”

He took Cloud to the dance floor gently, putting them both in the same easy sway that the rest of the pairs had without missing a beat. Zack’s strong hand supported the blond’s back while the other tenderly held his hand, and, for a split moment, Cloud could forget all the things he said, and it  _ felt _ right. But then the memory came tumbling in again, and the blond felt his expression go cold and body go tense. 

“Cloud,” the noiret started, noticing his closed-off demeanor. “I’m really sorry.” 

He paused, waiting for the blond to meet his eyes, before continuing. Cloud saw that they were swimming peacefully with Mako and the pupils were wide and genuine, and as much as he wanted to deny it, that much was visibly clear. 

“I need you to know that first and foremost. I said some awful things to you, and I’m really really fucking sorry.”

Cloud was listening cautiously, torn between wanting everything to go back to how it was and between not wanting to forgive Zack right away for his own sake, because it had hurt, God dammit, and believing him right away would be giving the noiret his vulnerability again. Cloud didn’t know if he had it within himself to do it so soon.

“I know that I can’t reverse what I said, but just please believe me when I tell you that I would take back  _ all _ of it if I could. In an instant.” He continued, his tone sounding perfectly honest. “I didn’t mean any of it. Not even a little. I know you’re not attention-seeking, and I more than believe you that a lot of the stuff that happened were accidents, and  _ nothing _ was your fault. But I blamed you for it, and for that, I’m sorry.”

Cloud watched as Zack’s expression flickered between pained and apologetic, almost unbelieving of how  _ real _ his words felt.

But then again, so did the words he said before...

“I have no excuses for the way I acted.” He continued, suddenly growing remorseful.

“I was just so- so…” Zack paused, as if unable to find the right word right away. 

“... _ Jealous _ . I was just so jealous and I took it out on you. I didn’t even realize that’s what it was before I was telling you all of those mean things and then made you cry- oh God, I made you cry… I’m so sorry Cloud.” He repeated, looking devastated.

“But…” Cloud started, his expression a cross between distressed and confused, “I don’t understand. I mean- Why would you be... jealous?”

Zack looked at the blond empathetically, as if the answer would scare him away. 

“Cloud, don’t you get it?” He shook his head to himself as if it was supposed to be obvious.

“I-”

Zack paused, mouth going dry.

“You… what?” Cloud tried, mind racing.

“I-” Zack sighed almost painfully and licked his lips to try again. Cloud watched him disbelieving, the noiret’s seriousness throwing him off and making his heart pound uncontrollably. Zack looked to the floor and steeled himself.

When he met the blond’s eyes again, there was something that made them both freeze for a moment, as if knowing everything was about to change.

“I like you, Cloud.”

“You…”

The words processed as if in slow motion, and Cloud couldn’t tell whether it had been seconds or minutes before he felt his face flushing completely.

_ I like you, Cloud. _

“No…” He said, in shock, “No, no, you’re just confused right now- You just think you like me because I look like a girl, that’s all. Cause- cause, if you actually did then that’d mean you’re into guys, and that’s not you, so-” Cloud was fumbling, tripping over himself in an attempt to stay in denial.

Zack only looked back at him with complete earnesty. “I’m not confused, Cloud.” 

The blond felt as the hand holding his shifted to interlace their fingers more firmly, reflecting the resolve on the noiret’s expression, and Cloud became abruptly hyper aware of how close their torsos were, and of how Zack’s other arm was completely wrapped along his waist.

It was suddenly hard to breathe. 

“Besides, when did I ever say that I was straight?” Zack asked, quirking an eyebrow and smiling with the slightest tinge of mirth.

“I-” Cloud was speechless, and felt at a complete loss for what to do in this situation.

This isn’t a joke?

He’s being serious?

“Really?” He asked, thinking such a thing was absurd. Why would Zack like  _ him _ , out of all the people he could choose from? 

Zack light-heartedly chuckled, “Yes, Cloud. Really.”

“But- but…”

His head wasn’t working right.  _ This _ wasn’t right.

It couldn’t be.

“Cloud,” the noiret started, seeing that the blond was getting nowhere, “What matters the most to me right now though is that you know how sorry I am. Me liking you aside.” His expression became somber again.

“Is it possible for me to have your forgiveness?”

Cloud stared at him for a moment, completely stunned, before breaking down into a strangled laugh. 

“Of course I forgive you. That isn’t even-” 

He was overwhelmed with too many emotions to pick apart, only knowing that he was relieved to know that Zack wasn’t angry with him anymore. Relieved that he didn’t really think of him that badly, and even more so to know  _ why _ Zack had acted that way… even if he couldn’t well believe the reason.

At the very least, they could be on good terms again, which was a reassurance that Cloud hadn’t realized was so important right up until the second that the doubts stopped plaguing his chest like a sickness. The blond was too conflicted to celebrate, though.

“But, I just don’t believe- I don’t get-” He tried, failing miserably. 

Zack sighed, but it wasn’t one of disappointment, but of contentment. “That’s fine, that’s fine. I’m just happy to have been able to fix things…. Well, I mean-” he smiled sheepishly, “I didn’t just mess it up again, did I?”

Cloud didn’t know what to say to that, but the music was stopping before he could try to respond. 

The waltz was over.

“Ladies and gentleman!” Rufus’s voice rang, the headmaster on the small stage again. "I hope you have all been able to enjoy this evening. Although, I must regret to announce that this will now be the last song.”

There was a chorus of ‘aws’ at the announcement, but Rufus was able to appease the crowd with a simple smile.

“For this special slow dance, I'd like to invite everyone to join us on the ballroom floor.” Rufus finished, gesturing his arms out wide.

Cloud could hear applause along with piano chords of a romantic song begin to play, so he began to pull himself away from Zack. There was no way he was staying here for another song, especially since Tifa only warned him to stay for  _ one  _ more, not two. And especially because Zack just dropped a bombshell on him that he now really needed time and space alone to sort out. Cloud stepped away, a parting on his lips, poised to leave when suddenly his heart dropped and he froze. 

The lights were dimming.

The entirety of the event center was growing dark, orange lights fading out and being replaced by the faintest blue hues. Cloud felt completely rigid, panic gripping at his senses.

At this rate it’d be dark enough for his eyes to glow, dark enough for everyone to see, his eyes bright enough to be noticed from a mile away, and his school smart enough to be able to figure out who he was based off knowing that there was only two Makoeons- well three now including Sephiroth- in the entire university. 

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.

“Zack-” He started, not knowing what to do. 

They were right in the middle of the large room, so there was no way he’d make it outside on time before being noticed. The blond nearly gasped as it continued to get darker, the noiret’s eyes beginning to emit a glow. It was going to be too late-

“Close your eyes.” Zack ordered, his tone conveying how well he understood the severity of Cloud’s situation.

The blond didn’t have to be told twice, hands shooting up to cover his entire face in an attempt to overcompensate. 

“What do I do?” 

Cloud felt anxiety seeping through every limb, intense fear shooting through him at the idea of everyone finding out who he really was.

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Zack soothed, noticing the blond’s intense rising panic. “I’ll make sure no one sees. You’ll be okay.”

Cloud felt the noiret grab his hands away from his face and whimpered at the exposure.

“Just keep your eyes shut.”

“...okay…” Cloud whispered, trying to get his breathing under control.

“Trust me, I got you.”

“Okay, okay,”

Cloud felt Zack gently pull him closer, placing the blond’s hands on both of his shoulders and putting his own arms protectively around him. With the contact, Cloud instinctually latched on and pushed himself even closer, wrapping his arms around Zack’s nape in a hug. The shift caused a small gasp to escape from the noiret, but he otherwise went along and embraced Cloud tighter in return, the position bringing Cloud’s head right at the junction between Zack’s shoulder and neck. 

“There. You can open your eyes now.”

Cloud tentatively peeked, and found himself practically hiding his face in Zack’s chest. His own arm blocked the rest of the space that the noiret’s shoulder didn’t, and Cloud thankfully found it sufficient enough to cover any eye-glowing while still being able to maintain at least some amount of vision, the thinnest triangle of view feeling akin to looking through a door opened only a crack. 

“See?” Zack breathed, the feeling tickling the back of Cloud’s neck. The noiret gently began to sway from side to side similar to slow dancing, but it was done in such a way that had the blond feeling it was with intent to help calm him down instead. “You’re fine.”

Belatedly, the Cloud tensed at how close they were to one another. “Oh god- I...Sorry-” He whispered, resisting the urge to pull back. 

“Don’t worry about it. What matters is that you’re okay now, right?”

Cloud nodded, knowing Zack would feel the motion.

The blond was unable to bring himself to speak at the moment as embarrassment overwhelmed him. He got scared for  _ one _ second and now was stuck clinging to Zack like a bristled cat, and, to make matters worse, the choice of song was not helping. On the bright side, anyone seeing them would be fooled into thinking they were just a very  _ close _ couple slow dancing together, but even that mental image didn’t help Cloud feel much better.

He wanted to just curl into a ball and die.

Okay, so maybe that was a bit over dramatic, but Cloud was unable to help the way his body was completely betraying him. His heart wouldn’t stop pounding and, out of the entire night, his face had never burned more. Suddenly, every sense becoming hyper aware, Cloud became self conscious about whether Zack could notice any of it. His heart seemed loud enough for the noiret to hear, his face red enough to scald him, and his panicked breathing more than obvious enough for him to feel. Wait, no, Cloud was being ridiculous, there’s no way-

“You doing alright?” Zack whispered, enough breath and mirth in it that Cloud could tell he was trying not to laugh.

Fuck.

“You’re so unfair.” He muttered, knowing Zack would catch it with him being so close to his ear. 

“What do you mean? I was talking about your Mako situation.”

Oh.

“You couldn’t have just led me to the door?” Cloud improvised, refusing to let Zack figure out that he was a bit- no, very much- flustered at the moment. 

“And get weird looks from everyone since you’d be covering your eyes? Yeah, no. Way too suspicious.”

Cloud overly huffed in response to the truth in his statement, knowing the noiret would feel it. He must’ve put too much into it, however, as Zack tensed and froze for a split second, before relaxing again as if the breath had surprised him. 

“H-hey, don’t do that…” He chided.

“Do what? This?”

Cloud deeply sighed into his neck again, almost breaking out in laughter when it elicited a flinch from the noiret.

“That’s not funny, Cloud.” He grumbled, “How would you like it if I just left you here to be blind?”

“You wouldn’t.”

Cloud heard Zack scoff and felt his fingers flex on his lower back.

“I guess I’m stuck with you then.”

The tone of Zack’s words when he said that somehow made the blond want to hide his face more than he already was, and brought back the previous declaration that had him blushing all over again.

_ I like you, Cloud. _

As if also being reminded of the phrase, Zack slightly shifted, one of his hands beginning to slide upwards, fingers tenderly ghosting over Cloud’s bare back. The blond sucked in his breath, trying to not shiver at the touch, before almost melting at the way Zack practically nuzzled closer to him in a tender embrace. With the drowsy melody of the music and the hypnotic swaying, Cloud couldn’t deny how  _ nice _ it felt.

He was flustered, sure, but there was a little skip in his heart that felt suspiciously more happy than it did anxious, and the blond couldn’t help but secretly smile into Zack’s chest. Cloud was surprised to find how nice it felt to be held close, and was even more surprised to find that he didn’t mind that it was Zack doing it.

Despite that, when Cloud tried to think about how he felt about him, whether he liked him back or not, an impenetrable mind block would stop him in his tracks.

_ There’s no way he actually likes you. _

It was hard to get around it when he full-heartedly believed it, and so, finding himself getting nowhere on the subject, Cloud decided to just let himself forget about all of it for now and to just enjoy the moment.

A moment that ended all too soon as the music began to fade and the lights began to go up. Cloud pulled back to look Zack in the face, surprised to find the noiret- for once- redder than he was. They held each other's gazes for a silent second, another strange expression Cloud couldn’t place in Zack’s eyes, before the noiret looked away and it was gone.

The moment was over. 

Cloud blinked a few times, feeling as if he just came out of a daze, and squinted under the sudden intensity of the lights fully on again. Rufus got back on the stage and began to give some closing speech, but for some reason the blond couldn’t bring himself to listen to a single word. He vaguely got the gist that the ‘honored guest’ was going to give the final speech, but even when Sephiroth himself got on stage to conclude the ball, Cloud heard nothing besides Zack shifting besides him. The noiret looked at him, his expression completely engulfed in something the blond couldn’t understand, and he stared back, waiting.

“Can I talk to you outside?” Zack finally asked, gently grabbing hold of Cloud’s hand.

It was warm and soft and was somehow lulling him even further into the senseless abyss. Before Cloud could even realize what was happening, he was nodding along.

“Let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I literally did not plan for Zack and Cloud to fight, but then it kinda just happened and I didn't stop it... I'm sorry! ;-;  
> I hope the slow dance made up for it though! I also didn't plan for Zack to already confess, but like damn I guess I can't even control the own story I write, so xD   
> I wanted to make Sephiroth and Scarlet, not villains, but bad people, and I kind of failed on that as I wrote this chapter because I made them both way too dang nice xD Don't worry though, we'll have a lot of Sephiroth time now that he's Cloud's professor, and Scarlet most definitely just hasn't finished turning into the heartless bad-bitch that she is ;) Give her until her 30's after becoming a CEO of a weapons company and then she'll be the Scarlet we know and love-to-hate. Or who knows, maybe something will go down by the end of the year that'll prompt a certain slapping competition from two lovely ladies~  
> One more chapter on this whole Shinra Ball arc! It'll be in Zack's perspective and it'll show what he and Cloud went outside to 'talk' about ;)))))  
> This one will probably take longer than this one did though, just because I'll be doing my best to show the differences in writing style when expressing Zack's thought process as opposed to Cloud's. I hope you stick around, thank you for reading! <3


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